2nd COPY 
1898. 




LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, 

Chap^_:_.\„ Copyright ]S T o._____._ 
ShelLiULTS 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



I 



DIET IN ILLNESS 
AND CONVALESCENCE 



BY 



ALICE WOETHINGTON WINTHROP 



PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED 




NEW YORK AND LONDON 
HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS 

1899 






20919 



JUU> it*» ntArCfttfED< 




Copyright, 1898, by Harper & Brothers. 



All right! reterved. 






PREFACE 



Diet in Illness and Convalescence is founded on 
Diet for the Sick, published by Messrs. Harper & 
Brothers in 1885. As that admirable book is out of 
print, and as there is none which exactly fills its 
place, the present writer has been asked to incorpo- 
rate its essential portions in a work which shall in- 
clude also the later ideas on the science and practice 
of dietetics. She complies with this request with a 
certain hesitation, being aware that she cannot im- 
prove on the original work ; but in view of the great 
advance, since it was published (and partly through 
its instrumentality), in the knowledge of the relation 
of diet to health, and of the alleviating and even 
curative effects of diet in illness, she feels justified in 
making such additions and changes as the intervening 
years require, and as the present general interest in 
the subject demands. 

In the preparation of the scientific portion of this 
work she has been materially assisted by various 
French and German writers, and by Pavy, Fothergill, 
and other English authorities, including Mrs. Ernest 
Hart, whose excellent work, Diet in Sickness and in 
Health, has been frequently quoted. She wishes also 
to expresa her indebtedness to the recently published 
Lectures on the Malarial Fevers, by Dr. Thayer, of 
Johns Hopkins University. 



PREFACE 

The writer's experience at Montauk Point during 
the months of August and September of this } T ear has 
been supplemented by valuable information obtained 
from surgeons and nurses at that hospital-camp, where 
opportunities for the study of typhoid and malarial 
fever were only too abundant. 

The additional illustrations are by Miss Milicent 
Johnson. 

The author does not apologize for certain specimens 
of cookery-book English — a distinct branch of the 
language — which will be found among the receipts 
that have been added to those in the original work. 
Many of these receipts were taken down from the lips 
of accomplished cooks, and have been edited as little 
as possible, lest their practical value and directness 
should thereby be impaired. 

Alice Woethixgton Winthrop. 

Washington, D.C., November, 1898. 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

Diet in Illness and Convalescence 1 

Constituents op Food 3 

Digestion 5 

Artificial Digestion 9 

Remarks about Beverages and Foods : 

Beverages 14 

Water 14 

Tea 20, 120 

Coffee 22, 121 

Cocoa and Chocolate 23, 122 

Milk and its Products 24 

Buttermilk 27 

Whey 28 

Clabbered Milk 28 

Malted Milk . 29 

Cottage Cheese 29 

Kumiss 29 

Alcohol 36 

Malt Extract 39 

Grape Juice 39 

Foods : 

Animal Foods — Meats 41 

Poultry 44 

Fish . . . 44 

Oysters 44 

Fats 46 

Gelatin 48 

Eggs 48 

Vegetable Foods 50 

Rice 50 

Corn-starch and Arrowroot 50 



CONTENTS 



Vegetable Foods — Continued. fags 

Sago and Tapioca 50 

Beans and Peas 51 

Sea-moss Farine and Sea-moss 51 

Vegetable Acids and Fruits 52 

Sugar 55 

Saccharin 55 

Salts } 57 

Health Foods and Other Grain Preparations. . . . 58 

Diet for Infants 61 

Diet in Different Diseases 67 

Dyspepsia 67 

Diarrhea 70 

Dysentery 71 

Cholera , 72 

Fevers 73 

Malarial Fevers 74 

Typhoid Fever 78 

Gout and Rheumatism 81 

Bright's Disease 84 

Diabetes 85 

Consumption 87 

Scrofula . . 89 

Rickets 90 

Diphtheria 90 

Gastritis 90 

Neuralgia 91 

Colds 92 

Corpulency . 93 

Remarks Regarding Longevity 96 

Utensils 99 

Service of an Invalid's Food 105 

Receipts for the Sick and Convalescent 107 

Drinks 107 

Gruels *. , 123 

Beef-teas and Broths 129 

Soups 186 

Foods 149 

Breads and Grain Preparations . 149 

Dishes M;ide with Gluten 168 

Dishes of Macaroni 172 

Dishes of Rice 174 

vi 



CONTENTS 

"Foods — Continued. pagk 

Eggs 180 

Dishes of Meat, Game, and Fish 184 

Vegetables 202 

Puddings, etc 213 

Dishes of Almond Flour and Meal (for Diabetics) . . . 220 

Jellies 222 

Custards 227 

Ices, Mousses, and Parfaits 233 

Fruits 239 

Bills of Fare for Convalescents 243 

Appendix 247 

Effects of Tea and Coffee. 

Extract from an article by Mr. Mattieu Williams .... 247 
Influence of Alcoholic Liquors. 
Remarks on the subject by Prof. Edward L. Youmans and 

others 253 

Tendency of Common Wheat Flour to Produce 
Bright's Disease, Diabetes, etc 256 

Kumiss. 
Extract from an article by Dr. E. F. Brush, of New York, 

in the Medical Record 257 

Further on Kumiss. 

By Dr. T. Griswold Comstock, of St. Louis 261 

"The Digestive Ferments." 
Extracts from a book on the subject, by Dr. William Rob- 
erts, of Manchester, England 262 

Pancreatic Emulsion of Fats. 
Extract from a work on "Loss of Weight, Blood-spitting, 

and Lung Disease," by Dr. Horace Dobell .... 263 
Food for Infants. 
Remarks by Dr. Eustace Smith, Physician to the King of 

the Belgians 264 

Feeding the Baby. 
Remarks by Dr. C. E. Page, in his book How to Feed the 
Baby " 271 

Diet for Typhoid Fever. 
Extract from an address on the "Treatment of Typhoid 

Fever," by Sir William Jenner 274 

vii 



^ 



CONTENTS 

Appendix — Continued. page 

Colds and Catarrh. 
Extract from an article by Dr. Felix L. Oswald, published 

in the Popular Science Monthly ■ . . c 277 

The Pancreatic Extract 280 

Chart op Food Materials, Prepared for the United 

States Government 282 

INDEX .283 



DIET IN 



ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 



DIET IN" 
ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 



In a work on Diet for Invalids, it is essential to 
consider the Chemical Constituents of Food, and to 
describe the processes of Digestion — briefly, but with 
sufficient detail to aid an intelligent nurse in prepar- 
ing and administering food for the sick, and in ob- 
serving its effects. A good nurse will never exceed 
or depart from the doctor's instructions ; but there 
are occasions when her possession of accurate, even 
if limited, knowledge on the subjects of chemistry 
and physiology will enable a physician to give more 
definite directions, will assist him in the performance 
of his duties, and will add greatly to the comfort 
and well-being of the patient. 



CONSTITUENTS OF FOOD 

Constituents of Food. — Food is composed of organic 
and inorganic substances. The organic may be divided 
into nitrogenous and non-nitrogenous elements. The 
inorganic foods are water, mineral salts, and vegetable 
salts and acids. 

The nitrogenous elements are contained in all flesh- 
forming foods except fats. They are found princi- 
pally in meat, eggs, milk, wheat, oats, corn, beans, 
peas, and nuts. 

The nitrogenous foods are essential in the process 
called metabolism, or tissue-change, on which health 
and even life depend. Their uses are : 1. To repair 
the waste of nitrogen in the tissues in which it exists ; 
2. To promote the destruction of old, as well as the 
formation of new, tissue ; 3. To stimulate the divi- 
sion or splitting-up of the nitrogenous and non-nitrog- 
enous foods into their respective elements, and, under 
certain circumstances, to assist in the production of 
heat and fat. 

As the assimilation of food and tissue-change are 
most rapid in childhood and youth and during hard 
labor, it will be readily seen that an ample supply 
of nitrogen is then demanded by the system. When 
change is slower, and when the supply of energy equals 
the demand, as it does with well-nourished persons in 
middle life and old age, the amount of nitrogenous 
food should be diminished. 

3 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 



When the virtue of nitrogenous food is exhausted, 
its products are thrown from the blood and excreted 
by the kidneys in the form of uric acid. If used in 
excess, nitrogenous food throws too great a burden 
on these organs, leading to their degeneration, as in 
Bright' s disease. 

The non-nitrogenous foods largely furnish the fuel 
necessary to consume the nitrogenous substances. 
They consist of fats, of the various forms of sugar 
and starch, and of stimulants. 

Fats not only maintain the bodily heat and produce 
force, but they serve as a stored -up supply of com- 
bustible matter and energy. They also prevent waste 
of tissue and diminish the amount of nitrogenous food 
required. 

Sugar and starch especially supply the bodily fuel — 
i.e., are " energy-producers." In some way, which is 
not yet fully explained, they also increase the forma- 
tion of fat. 

Among stimulants are alcohol, tea, coffee, cocoa, etc. 
It has not been definitely ascertained how alcohol acts; 
but it undoubtedly prevents waste of the tissues, and 
thereby economizes food, although it interferes with 
the elimination of injurious substances from the sys- 
tem. The same may be said of tea and coffee. The 
effects of stimulants will be considered in a separate 
part of this work. 

Of the inorganic foods, water will also require a 
section to itself. 

Salts are mineral and vegetable. The former, in 
the form of chloride of sodium, or common salt, is 
found in every tissue and fluid of the body. Vege- 
table salts and acids have little nutritive, value, but 
are needed for the assimilation of other food. 



DIGESTION 

The Processes of Digestion. — After the food has 
been broken and ground by the teeth, it is softened 
and moistened by the saliva, an alkaline secretion 
which has the property of converting the insoluble 
starch of farinaceous food into soluble dextrine, a 
form of sugar. By means of the tongue and of the 
self-acting muscles of the throat, the food is conveyed 
through the oesophagus, or gullet, into the stomach, 
where the albumen and the cane-sugar are acted on 
by the gastric juice. This juice is composed of hydro- 
chloric (and sometimes lactic) acid, mucus, and pepsin. 
The acid in the gastric juice is an antiseptic, or germ- 
destroyer. It stops fermentation, and is the only me- 
dium in which pepsin, the active principle, can work. 
During the gastric process, which requires from three to 
live hours, according to the digestibility of the food 
submitted to it, there is a slow, continuous, churning 
motion of the walls of the stomach, by which all the 
food is subjected to the action of the gastric juice, 
which changes the albumen in the nitrogenous food 
into albumose, or peptones, and the cane-sugar into 
grape-sugar, or glycose. These, with various salts 
held in solution, are nearly all absorbed by the deli- 
cate walls of the blood-vessels of the stomach, and are 
carried by the portal vein to the liver. Here they are 
converted, by some process which is still obscure, into 
material necessary for nutrition. The glycose becomes 

5 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 



gl vcogen, and is stored in the liver for future use. The 
albumose again becomes albumen and passes into the 
circulation, constituting the serum and the fibrin of the 
blood. It is the muscle-producing element of nutrition. 

After the albumen and cane - sugar are digested, 
and to a great extent absorbed, the remaining food 
(principally starch, sugar, and fat), now a semi-fluid 
mass called chyme, passes out of the stomach, in 
small quantities at a time, through the narrow open- 
ing of the pylorus into the duodenum. 

In health, unless there is some irritating substance 
present, this passage of the food causes no discomfort. 
Wljen there is any substance producing irritation, or 
when the digestion is impaired, the pylorus refuses to 
act ; the muscles of the stomach, through sympathy, 
contract spasmodically, and the food is forcibly re- 
turned to, and ejected from, the mouth by the act of 
vomiting. 

When it has passed into the duodenum, the chyme 
is acted on by two fluids — the bile and the alkaline 
pancreatic juice. Here the digestion of the starch, 
begun b} r the saliva and suspended during the action of 
the gastric juice (for it can only take place in an alka- 
line medium), is accomplished. The pancreatic juice 
has the property of converting starch almost instan- 
taneously into sugar. It acts also on the fats which 
are not affected either by the saliva or the gastric juice. 
They become emulsified — i.e., broken up into tiny 
globules, which do not afterwards reunite, and which 
are absorbed, later on, by the lacteals — minute ab- 
sorbents which line the small intestine. 

The bile is secreted in the liver, the largest and one 
of the most important organs in the body. The ac- 
tion of the bile is not clearly understood, although it is 
essential to digestion ; but it is known that its influ- 

6 



DIGESTION 

ence is antiseptic, or germ-destroying, and that it aids 
in emulsifying or separating the fats. It also throws 
down, or precipitates, the partially digested and undi- 
gested particles in the food-mass, or chyme, which after 
its subjection to the pancreatic juice becomes chyle. 
Leaving the duodenum, the chyle enters the small or 
long intestine. Here the action is both secretory and 
absorbent. The long intestine is lined with glands, 
which secrete a watery fluid, and with minute ab- 
sorbents called villi and (as above mentioned) lacteals. 

This watery fluid has, in a less degree, the same 
properties as the gastric and pancreatic juices, and it 
converts the albumen and starch, which have not been 
digested, into albumose and glycose. The villi take up 
the glycose and convey it through the mesenteric veins 
to the portal vein, and thence to the liver. The lac- 
teals take up the fats, and they are carried through the 
thoracic ducts and the left jugular vein to the heart, 
and thence to the lungs, where thev are consumed in 
the process of breathing. 

The presence of food in the small intestine stimu- 
lates the muscles, which act involuntarily, and which 
propel the remains of the food-mass, and the excretions 
of the process of digestion, into the large intestine, 
whence they pass out of the body. 

It is beyond the province of this book to describe 
the circulation of the blood ; but it is necessary to 
state that the impurities with which the blood becomes 
charged, especially when it contains an excess of albu- 
men, take the form largely of urea or uric acid, which 
it is the function of the kidneys to eliminate. 

When the imperfect digestion of albumen throws 
too great a burden on these organs, or when they 
are, from functional or organic weakness, incapable of 
performing the work assigned to them, uric acid is 

7 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

secreted in excess, and, if thrown back on the system, 
results in the condition which the unscientific term 
" biliousness," in headache, gout and rheumatism, al- 
buminuria, true Bright's disease, and possibty in other 
forms of disease. Dr. Haig, who has carefully stud- 
ied the effects of uric acid, writes as follows : " When 
it is present in the blood self-reliance is absolutely 
gone, extreme modesty is common, or even habitual, 
a feather-weight will crush one to the dust, and even 
the greatest good-fortune will fail to cheer. If roused 
from such a condition, a considerable amount of irrita- 
bility and bad temper is sure to be manifested, quite 
out of proportion to the requirements of the case. 
Clear the blood of uric acid, and the mental condition 
alters as if by magic ; ideas flash through the brain, 
everything is remembered, nothing is forgotten, exer- 
cise of mind and body is a pleasure, the struggle for 
existence a glory, nothing is too good to happen, the 
impossible is within reach, and misfortunes slide like 
water off a duck's back." 



ARTIFICIAL DIGESTION BY MEANS OF 

PANCREATIC FERMENTS AND 

OF PEPSIN 

Important discoveries have of late years been made 
in the matter of supplying artificially digested, or 
partly digested, food, which is of benefit in the treat- 
ment of certain diseased conditions. The digestive 
agent is pancreatic juice, or ferment, which can be 
taken from animals in an active, potent form. This 
is mixed with milk, milk-gruel, milk-punch, beef-tea, 
and other foods, as explained in the receipts. Such 
digested food is especially indicated when there is an 
inability to digest the caseine of milk, or starch or fats, 
as often occurs with infants unable to retain milk in 
the stomach, and with consumptives who cannot digest 
fats. It is also indicated in cases of extreme emaciation 
or weakness, in cases of typhoid fever,* and especially 
in gastric troubles brought on by alcoholic excesses. 

Many physicians resort to artificial digestion only in 
cases where exercise and bracing air cannot accom- 
plish their usual results in aid of natural digestion. 

At present there is a reaction against the frequent 
administration of pre-digested foods. In certain forms 
of acute illness they are undoubtedly useful, but when 

* The ulcerated bowels common to typhoid fever must not be 
exposed to the irritation of foods that leave a solid residue after 
digestion. The curdling of the caseine of milk may be prevented 
in part by giving it already digested {peptonized). 

9 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

the patient rejects the idea of all food, it is generally 
true that the powers of assimilation, as well as the 
organs of digestion, fail to act, and in that case there 
is danger of the decomposition of the pre-digested food 
in the system. 

Pepsin for stomachic indigestion has long been in 
use. Much of the digestive process, especially in the 
case of fats and starches, takes place when the food 
has left the stomach and entered the duodenum. 
This may be called duodenal digestion. It is here 
that the pancreatic ferment does its work. 

For information on this subject — viz., the practical 
use oj pancreatic extract and its action on the human 
system treated philosophically — w@ are indebted to 
Dr, William Roberts, of Manchester, England. This 
information was given in a series of lectures before the 
Royal College of Physicians, which have since been 
published in book form, entitled On the Digestive 
Ferments. 

In our own country a preparation of the pancreas, 
called "Extractum Pancreatis," is made by Fairchild 
Brothers & Foster, ]New York City. Mr. Fairchild 
has published a small work on the subject, having 
given it a very thorough investigation. His extract 
is in powdered form, is easily kept, and is admirable 
in its results. 

Dr. Horace Dobell has also contributed valuable 
information on the same subject ; having, in fact, pre- 
ceded Dr. Roberts in his publications. His experi- 
ments have been chiefly directed to the action of the 
pancreas on fats.* An article, which may be obtained 



* The albuminoids and starch have been digested with pepsin 
and vegetable diastase ; no other digestive agent but pancreatine 



has been found to emulsify fat. 



10 



ARTIFICIAL DIGESTION 

in most of our Jarge cities (prepared by Savory & 
Moore, of London), called "Pancreatic Emulsion" — 
i.e., pancreatized suet, cod-liver oil, etc. — is the result 
of his investigations. This aliment is considered es- 
pecially valuable for consumptives. (See Appendix, 
p. 263.) 

Dr. Dobell says : " Pancreatic emulsion has proved 
most magical in its effects on miserable, wasted children 
— children who have been subjected to chronic defects 
in diet — for instance, when the mother's milk is poor 
in fat and lactme, or when the child's diet has been 
deficient in milk and fat elements, and the pancreas 
has been partly paralyzed by prolonged inactivity, 
causing a kind of wasting (marasmus;.'* 

In the preparation of the various foods with the 
pancreatic extract the process of digestion is stopped 
a little short of completion, to prevent the formation 
of offensive products which full digestion would de- 
velop. 

In any of the following receipts the milk or food 
may be more or less peptonized* In some cases, 
especially in cases of infants, it may be better to pep- 
tonize the food partially. The degree of peptonizing 
is best determined by the readiness with which the 
food is assimilated by the patient. To check the action 
of the digestive ferment, the food, when sufficiently 
peptonized, may be placed on ice, which at once ar- 
rests all action (a commentary on the reckless habit 
of drinking ice -water), or it may be scalded, or 
brought to the boiling-point. It is afterwards kept 
like ordinary milk. Peptonized milk-gruel is generally 
preferred to the peptonized milk. 



* The word peptonized is used as synonymous with pancre- 
atized. 

11 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 



To Peptonize Milk 

In a clean quart bottle put a powder of five grains 
of Extractum Pancreatis (about a quarter of a tea- 
spoonful), also fifteen grains of soda* (a pinch), and a 
gill of water (half a cupful) ; shake it, then add a pint 
of quite fresh milk. 

Place the bottle in a pitcher of hot water, or set the 
bottle aside in a warm place for an hour, or an hour 
and a half, to keep the milk warm — at about 98°, or 
the natural temperature of the body. When the con- 
tents of the bottle assume a grayish-yellow color, and a 
slightly bitter taste, then the milk is thoroughly pep- 
tonized. When partially peptonized it has no bitter 
taste, and but little appearance of change. When the 
milk is peptonized (sufficiently for the patient), either 
scald or bring it to the boiling-point (to prevent further 
digestion), or place it on ice until used. It can be taken 
like ordinary milk. (See Appendix, p. 262.) 

Peptonized milk may be sweetened to taste, and 
used for making punch, with rum, etc., or it can be 
made into jelly ; indeed, it may well take the place of 
ordinary milk in any of the various dishes in which 
milk is used. 

Peptonized Milk-Gruel 

Half a pint (a cupful) of well-boiled gruel (made of 
barley flour, Graham flour, or granulated wheat, corn, 
or oatmeal) is added while still boiling hot, to half a 
pint of cold milk. The mixture will have a tempera- 
ture of about 125° ; add to this five grains (a quarter of a 
teaspoonful) of the Extractum Pancreatis, and fifteen 
grains of soda, and let it stand until peptonized. 

* A newer preparation of the pancreatic extract comes already 
mixed with soda. 

12 



ARTIFICIAL DIGESTION 

Peptonized Milk Jelly. (Very palatable.) 

Ingredients : one pint of peptonized milk heated to 
boiling ; one quarter of a pound of sugar ; half a-box of 
Coxe's or Nelson's gelatin ; the juice and the thin yel- 
low cuts of the rind of one lemon; the juice of one 
orange ; three or four table-spoonfuls of Jamaica rum. 

Add the sugar and the thin cuts of the rind of the 
lemon to the milk. Soak the gelatin for half an hour 
or more in enough cold water to cover it, then add a 
gill of boiling water, and when quite dissolved add 
the juices of the lemon and orange, and also the rum. 
Add this to the sweetened milk when it has partially 
cooled, and pass through a little wire milk strainer 
or sieve. Pour it into cups or moulds (previously wet 
with cold water), and set in a cold place. 

This jelly may be made with any flavor, with or with- 
out wine or spirits. It is very good when flavored 
with lemon or orange alone, or with lemon or almond 
extract. 

When the milk is thoroughly peptonized (brought 
to a point when a slight bitter taste is detected), lemon 
juice or acids will not curdle it. 

The milk-gruels may be used, instead of milk, in 
making jelly. 



REMARKS ABOUT BEVERAGES AND 

FOODS 

BEVEKAGES 
Water 

Pure water is an odorless and almost tasteless and 
colorless fluid. It is not in one sense a food, for it 
passes out of the system substantially unchanged ; but 
it is necessary to health, and even to life. It not 
only serves to dilute other fluids, and to dissolve the 
solid elements of the body, but it assists in the act- 
ual processes of digestion and in maintaining the cir- 
culation of the blood, and is found in all the secre- 
tions of the body, forming from sixty to seventy per 
cent, of the tissues. From two and a half to four 
pints a day should generally be drunk to keep the sys- 
tem in good condition, but a large proportion of this 
is taken by most persons in the form of tea, coffee, etc. 

Drinking water is rarely chemically pure. In fact, 
by some authorities it is considered more wholesome 
when it contains free carbonic-acid gas and a small 
quantity of carbonate of lime. It is the absence of 
these constituents which makes boiled and distilled 
water so insipid. 

It is difficult for individuals to test water thorough- 
ly ; for, even when clear, sparkling, and odorless, it has 
been found to contain germs of typhoid and malarial 

14 



BEVERAGES AND FOODS 

fever, etc. Whenever it is practicable, sources of wa- 
ter should be frequently examined and analyzed by 
the municipal authorities. 

In all cases, however, in judging of the purity of 
water, we should use taste, smell, and vision. Taste, 
indeed, is frequently deceptive. To be palatable, wa- 
ter must be thoroughly aerated, and this involves the 
presence of carbonic acid gas. All water contains 
a minute quantity of iron, but the slightest excess 
causes a disagreeable, flat taste. Salt in any appreci- 
able quantity, except in mineral waters, is generally 
due to animal pollution. 

Water which has any odor is always doubtful. If 
the presence of ammonia or other foreign element is 
suspected, fill a glass - stoppered bottle half full of 
water and bring it to blood heat. Shake it and re- 
move the stopper, when, if the water is impure, the 
odor will be plainly perceptible. 

It cannot be too often repeated that water which is 
clear, colorless, and sparkling is not necessarilv pure. 
In fact, pure water has a slightly bluish tinge. To 
prove this, place a thin glass tumbler filled with pure 
water on a white paper in a good light. 

Hard and soft water were formerly supposed to 
be equally wholesome; but very hard water is now 
believed by many physicians to induce calculus, dys- 
pepsia, constipation, gout, and, in extreme cases, goitre. 

In his evidence before a royal commission, M. 
Soyer stated that it takes more meat and more time 
to make soup with hard water than with soft. So, in 
making tea, more material is required with hard than 
with soft water. Hard water darkens vegetables, 
and, in cooking w T ith it, it is well to add a pinch of bi- 
carbonate of soda. The kettle in which it is boiled 
should be cleansed by the use of soda. 

15 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Rain water would be the ideal water if its constitu- 
ents could always be relied upon, if arrangements 
existed in modern houses for its collection and care, 
and if it was not liable to contamination from the 
smoke and gases in the air of cities. The first rain in 
a shower, however, brings down all the existing im- 
purities in the atmosphere. It filters the air, and is 
itself filled with germs and spores. When enclosed in 
dust-proof cisterns, rain water is preserved from fur- 
ther contamination. Unless in constant motion, germs 
are developed with great rapidity in rain water. 

River water, by its constant motion, is to a certain 
extent self-purifying, the solid particles falling to the 
bottom ; but these are stirred up and added to by rains 
and floods ; and river water is constantly liable to pol- 
lution from the population on its banks. Cholera and 
typhoid fever are disseminated in this way. A re- 
cent epidemic of typhoid fever at Maidstone, England, 
when there were 1897 cases within three months, was 
directly traced to a colony of hop-pickers that had 
camped for a short time on the stream from which 
the town was supplied with water. The purification 
of the water at Hamburg has completely eradicated 
cholera. 

Distilled water is, of course, absolutely pure. It is 
not, however, agreeable to the taste even when aerated. 
An English authority, Dr. Rideal, states that a small 
quantity of carbonate of soda — about two grains per 
gallon — and two drops (diluted to about ten per cent, 
strength) of hydrochloric acid per gallon, will render 
distilled water palatable. It quickly becomes foul 
and germ-laden when exposed to the air. It is now 
possible to make distilled water at home, as small 
stills are manufactured for the purpose. 

Water may be contaminated by the addition of 

16 



BEVERAGES AND FOODS 

mineral and animal substances, by vegetable growths, 
and by the bacteria which are the result of these causes. 
It may be purified, to a certain extent, by boiling and 
filtering. Filtering was at one time believed to be an 
infallible method of insuring pure water, but it is now 
regarded as of doubtful efficacy. Dr. Rideal, already 
quoted, says: "Any filter not attended to and thor- 
oughly sterilized at proper intervals constitutes a 
source of danger, and actually pollutes the water in- 
stead of purifying it" The ordinary sand and gravel 
filters are of little use until the water itself supplies 
a sort of film through which it passes, but on this 
film the impurities accumulate and add to the danger. 
The filters generally used have this sand or gravel in- 
corporated in a composition which can sometimes be 
removed and submitted to the action of heat ; but it 
is known that many bacilli can stand more heat than 
an ordinary fire can supply. In fact, some bacilli 
thrive in heat. 

The Pasteur filter is probably the best, and claims 
to destroy all germs, but it is not infallible. Mason, 
in his book on Water, holds that all filters must be 
charged with oxygen from time to time to preserve 
their efficiency, A new method has been recently 
tried, which, if successful, will do away with many 
of the objections to filtered water. By this system 
water infected with bacteria is shaken up with finely 
divided particles of coke, chalk, iron filings, or char- 
coal, and allowed to subside for several hours. Percy 
Frankland, the author of these experiments, claims 
that practically all germs can be thus extracted — 
ninety-nine per cent, by the use of animal charcoal. 

Boiled water can generally be furnished to the in- 
valid without inconvenience, but its preparation re- 
quires great care. A small porcelain-lined or granite- 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 



iron kettle should be kept for this especial purpose, 
and it should be wiped out after each boiling — often 
with soda. It is better to boil a small quantity of 
water at a time, and to keep it in a closely stopped 
glass jar. The jar should be washed daily with boil- 
ing water and soda. When drunk by the invalid, it is 
as important as for coffee or tea that the water be 
used after "the first boil." If very flat and unpal- 
atable, it may be poured back and forth from glass to 
glass until sufficiently aerated. 

Boiling does not destroy all germs, and there is 
reason to believe that it injuriously affects the prin- 
ciple in water which aids digestion. It does, as a rule, 
precipitate the solid particles in water. Muddy water 
is considered innocuous by some physicians, but others 
believe that much intestinal irritation is caused by the 
fine particles of insoluble substances which muddy 
water contains. 

Recent experiments in Germany prove conclusively 
that sunlight and air are the most effectual destroyers 
of germs in water. Freezing, on the other hand, is 
not to be relied on. 

Natural mineral waters are preferable to those 
which are manufactured. " Drinking water highly 
charged with lime salts," says Mrs. Ernest Hart, 
"gives rise to concretions and deposits in the kid- 
neys and bladder." The careless and excessive use of 
mineral waters — even of those which are generally 
considered harmless — is greatly to be condemned. 

Iced Watee and Iced Tea 

The digestive organs are very sensitive to tempera- 
ture, the process of digestion being arrested by a 
temperature either too hot or too cold. This is prac- 
tically tested by experimenting with the receipts 

18 



BEVERAGES AND FOODS 

given in this book where the pancreatic extract is 
employed. 

Water, to be refreshing and wholesome, should not, 
when drunk, be above the usual temperature of fresh 
spring or well water. The habitual use of iced water 
by Americans is certainly attended with great injury ; 
and undoubtedly this lavish use of it and the use of 
hot breads made with baking-powder are the chief 
causes of the national disease — dyspepsia. 

Still more injurious is iced tea. The icing of tea 
serves to precipitate the tannin, and this is taken into 
the stomach as an insoluble substance. 

Hot Water 

The drinking of simple hot water in rheumatism, 
gout, dyspepsia, catarrh, etc., is frequently effica- 
cious. In these diseases there is a sporous condition 
— i.e., an animal or vegetable growth on the coatings 
of the stomach or respiratory tubes. The tendency 
of water is to wash off these impurities and to carry 
off through the kidneys any effete matter. The ten- 
dency of hot water is to produce an irritation and ex- 
cite an action of the mucous membranes of the tubes 
and stomach, which throws off or detaches diseased 
material. 

The water should be drunk as hot as possible. It is 
often served in a wooden goblet. It should be taken 
on an empty stomach, either half an hour before a 
meal or two hours after. Two or three quarts a day 
are consumed b\ 7 some persons, although ordinarily a 
glassful (a half -pint) is taken half an hour before 
breakfast, another at 11 o'clock, and another at 4 p.m. 

Hot water used in this manner, as a remedial agent, 
is a comparatively new discovery. It was found that 
rheumatism, gout, etc., were cured at the Hot Springs 

19 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

of Arkansas by the patients drinking quantities of 
the hot water at the springs. Experiments showed 
that any pure hot water was as good as that from 
these famous springs, the diuretic effect being what 
was required. 

A distinguished pt^sician in New York assures the 
writer that the hot-water mania has been carried too 
far. The use of hot water sometimes produces irrita- 
tion of the bronchial tubes and hoarseness, in which 
case it should at once be discontinued. 



Tea 

T*ea contains three active principles — 1 . Theine, 
which supplies its stimulating and restorative effects ; 
2. Tannin, which causes its astringency ; 3. A volatile 
oil which gives it its flavor. There is also some glu- 
ten, as well as a bitter principle which has as yet no 
name. " Green " tea, which, owing to its preparation, 
contains a third more tannin, and dangerous coloring 
matter (Prussian blue mixed with g3^psum or indigo), 
is more injurious than " black " tea. 

The occasional use of tea is not objectionable. It 
allays hunger and supplies a temporary stimulant in 
fatigue. But the invalid should regard it rather as a 
medicine than as a beverage. It should not be taken 
with milk or cream, these being rendered indigestible 
by the action of the astringent principle in tea and 
in coffee. 

Pavy says : " The phenomenon produced when tea 
is consumed in a strong state and to a hurtful extent, 
shows that it is capable of acting in a powerful man- 
ner on the nervous system. Nervous agitation, mus- 
cular tremors, a sense of prostration and palpitation 
constitute effects familiar to medical experience. It 
appears to act in a sedative manner on the vascular 

20 



BEVERAGES AND FOODS 

system. It also possesses direct irritant properties 
which lead to abdominal pains and nausea. It pro- 
motes the action of the skin, and, by the astringent 
matter it contains, diminishes the action of the bow- 
els." It also acts as a diuretic. 

It is now generally conceded that the effect of the 
active principle in tea and coffee is more or less in- 
jurious to the nervous system, and the tannin con- 
tained in them acts as a constant irritant to the stom- 
ach, presenting a formidable obstacle to digestion. 
Slavery of body and mind to any unnatural stimulant 
is unfortunate, whether that stimulant be tea or cof- 
fee, alcoholic drinks or opium — all more or less benefi- 
cial as remedial agents and injurious as constant bev- 
erages. 

The feeling 1 of health and strength which makes it 
a luxury to live, the exhilarating sense of self-com- 
mand which makes work a pleasure and success a cer- 
tainty, that happy buoyancy of spirit which comes 
only from the taking of wholesome and assimilable 
food, can scarcely be appreciated by those who de- 
pend upon the ephemeral effects of stimulants. 

Probably the most pleasant and innocent of drinks 
for a constant beverage is one at the mention of which 
the reader may smile incredulously ; but let him first 
try it. It is hot -water tea, known in some of the 
New York hotels as " cambric tea," and at the South 
as " contentment." It consists simply of a half cup- 
ful of cream to which boiling water and sugar are 
added. 

In the preparation of tea it should never be allowed 
to boil and steep. Boiling water should be poured 
upon the leaves, and the infusion taken in a very few 
minutes. The tea-leaves should never be used a sec- 
ond time. When tea is boiled, tannin is extracted in 

21 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

undue quantities, and the volatile osmazome is driven 
off. * 

Tea is injurious in all irritable conditions of the 
stomach and heart ; in fact, physicians recognize a dis- 
tinct condition known as the " tea-drinker's heart." It 
also causes sleeplessness. The bad effects of tea are 
cumulative — i.e., the injurious principle is not gotten 
rid of, but accumulates in the system — and while it 
takes longer to show its results on the patient than 
coffee, the recovery from its bad effects is slower. 

Coffee 

Coffee contains an element which resembles tannin — 
a volatile oil developed in roasting, to which it owes 
its distinctive taste, and a characteristic principle 
called caffeine, which is almost identical with theine ; 
also a considerable quantity of gluten. It contains 
less tannin than tea, and is probably less injurious to 
the digestive powers, though its powerful action on 
the liver may retard digestion. It is heating and stim- 
ulating, and is thus serviceable to the body under ex- 
posure to cold ; but taken in immoderate quantities, it 
induces feverishness, tremor, palpitation, nervous anx- 
iety, and deranged vision. Its constant use is said to 
cause astigmatism. It is very injurious to the com- 
plexion. 

Several substitutes for coffee have been tried, such 
as chicory, roasted wheat, barley, etc. Probably the 
best substitute is the cereal coffee prepared by the 
Health Food Company. It is of nutritive value, and 
has a taste resembing coffee. 

Coffee diminishes tissue-waste and the need for food 



* For further remarks about tea and coffee, see Appendix, 
pp. 247-253. 

22 



BEVERAGES AND FOODS 



and sleep — thus, while its effects last, depriving the 
system of its ability to get rid of used-up material, and 
drawing on the bank in which food and sleep make 
deposits. The nervous reaction from its use is more 
immediate than in the case of tea. 

It is a powerful heart-stimulant, and is sometimes 
useful in cases of cardiac debility. It also has anti- 
septic properties. 

Cocoa and Chocolate 

Cocoa is the bean or seed of a plant called thedbroma 
cacao, roasted, ground into powder, and moulded into 
cakes. When sweetened and flavored with vanilla or 
other extract it is called chocolate. Besides fats, al- 
buminous matter, and a small proportion of starch and 
phosphates, it contains an alkaloid called theobromine, 
which is analogous to theine and caffeine. It is sup- 
plied with almost all the elements necessary for sustain- 
ing life, but its constant use is not to be recommended, 
as it is heavy, and in many cases difficult of digestion. 

The nutritive elements of cocoa are so concentrated, 
and it is so rich in oily matter, that it should be taken 
freely only by convalescents and persons in active 
life. 

Chocolate is frequently adulterated with starch, 
suet, and coloring matter. Venetian red, umber, an- 
natto, and, in some instances, the highly poisonous 
metallic salts of cinnabar and red-lead, are employed. 

The chocolate in common use is, therefore, of very 
uncertain composition. According to Dr. Hassall, the 
questionable article constitutes half of what is sold in 
England. 

The best chocolate does not thicken in cooking, as 
does that in which there is a large admixture of flour. 
It requires thorough cooking to bring out its flavor. 

23 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Condensed tea, coffee, and chocolate can now be ob- 
tained in tablets or squares. One of these dropped 
into a cup of boiling Avater provides the beverage 
needed without further trouble. 

Milk, and its Products 

The value of milk as a food cannot be exaggerated. 
It is a complete diet in itself, containing in proper 
proportion everything necessary for sustaining life. 

From a sanitary point of view the world would be 
better off if a larger proportion of milk were taken for 
daily food, and the amount of animal food and of tea 
ancl coffee were correspondingly reduced. Milk is 
not only nourishing, but stimulating ; and the natural 
stimulus resulting from assimilable food is the most 
healthful and desirable one. 

Many diseases, such as rheumatism, dyspepsia, gas- 
tralgia, chronic diarrhea, consumption, etc., are re- 
lieved or cured by a diet composed partly or entirely 
of milk. The milk treatment as pursued in different 
parts of Europe has been very successful. 

In perfect health, good pure milk is almost always 
digestible. There are, indeed, few persons with whom 
it disagrees. The addition of lime-water will correct 
it for persons inclined to acidity of the ' stomach. 
Skimmed milk will be more beneficial to those who 
require less fat. When milk is found to be indigesti- 
ble, the difficulty is generally obviated by taking it 
mixed with starch or grain foods — for instance, with 
rice, porridge, or bread ; or it may be boiled and thick- 
ened with a little barley flour, etc. The reason is ex- 
plained by Dr. Eustace Smith. (See Appendix, p. 264.) 

It is preferable to give milk to diabetics in the form 
of kumiss, which contains no sugar. In typhoid fever 
it should be administered either peptonized or in the 

24 



BEVERAGES AND FOODS 



form of fresh kumiss. This prevents the formation of 
curd, which is irritating to the bowels in that disease. 

Milk in its acid state and buttermilk are nourishing 
and beneficial in febrile conditions. 

Cow's milk is not always of uniform quality. That 
of the Alderney cow yields the largest proportion of 
butter. The feeding, too, influences the quality of 
milk ; for instance, with dry food the milk is relatively 
richer in solids, and with good grass it abounds in fat. 

Water constitutes nine-tenths of milk ; the remainder 
consists of albuminoid or the muscle-building principle, 
caseine (the curd which is used in making cheese), and 
the carbonates or heat-producing principle (the butter 
and sugar). Then there is some mineral matter — the 
phosphates. The sugar is called lactine, and by fer- 
mentation or souring it is converted into lactic acid. 

When the u milk cure " is resorted to, the patient 
should gradually leave off his ordinary mixed diet un- 
til he reaches an exclusively milk diet. 

Dr. Mitchell formulates his method of administering 
milk as follows : 

" My own rule, founded on considerable experience, 
is this : Dating from the time when the patient begins 
to take milk alone, I wish three weeks to elapse be- 
fore anything be used save milk. After the first week 
of the period I direct that the milk be taken in just as 
large amount as the person desires, but not allowing it 
to fall below a limit which, for me, is determined in each 
case by his ceasing to lose weight. Twenty-one days 
of absolute milk diet having passed, with such excep- 
tion as I shall presently mention, I now give a thin 
slice of stale bread thrice a day. After another week 
I allow rice once a day, about two table-spoonfuls, or 
a little arrowroot, or both. At the fifth w T eek I give 
a chop once a day ; and after the sixth week I expect 

25 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

the patient to return gradually to a diet which should 
consist largely of milk for some months." 

Dr. Barthelow's rule is gradually to add other food 
after the cessation of symptoms for which the milk 
treatment was instituted. 

Milk and animal food, or milk and acid food, should 
not be taken together. 

Persons desiring to take a partial milk diet may take 
milk and farinaceous food for breakfast and for lunch 
or tea, and omit it at dinner, which may be a meal of 
meat and vegetables. 

Milk should be taken by the invalid slightly warm. 
No doubt the natural warmth of the milk when fresh 
from the cow is the best. 

Dr. Dobell, in his work, Diet and Regimen, says : 
" Now, the nearest approach to a pancreatic emulsion 
is what may be called nascent milk, by which I mean 
milk just secreted — milk that flows from the mammary 
glands as it is formed. ... In this the emulsifica- 
tion is finest and most perfect, but every minute that 
elapses after the milk is secreted deteriorates this per- 
fection of emulsification, until, as we know, when al- 
lowed to cool, the cream separates from the water of 
the milk, etc." 

Milk may be kept fresh for a long time if placed in 
well-scalded and perfectly clean glass jars, which can 
be hermetically sealed by drawing patent wire clasps 
over the glass tops. 

On a journey to Europe some acquaintances of the 
writer took milk and cream secured in glass jars in 
the way described. On the last day of the ocean voy- 
age it seemed as fresh as when leaving JSTew York. It 
was, of course, kept in the ice-closet. 

Glass jars and bottles are now in general use at the 
best dairies. 

26 



BEVERAGES AND FOODS 



To make milk absolutely free from germs, it is nec- 
essary to sterilize it. Complete sterilization requires a 
temperature of 230° Fahr. ; but this unfits milk for all 
purposes except cooking. As a rule, milk is adequately 
sterilized when brought to a temperature of 210° to 
218° under pressure for thirty minutes, and then rap- 
idly cooled to about 50°. 

To pasteurize milk, another form of freeing it from 
germs, it should be brought to 150°-160°. To make 
the process effectual, the milk must be maintained at 
this point for some time — twenty to thirty minutes — 
and then rapidly cooled. 

Cans and other utensils must be subjected to heat 
and cold in the same way, and perfect cleanliness in 
every respect is absolutely essential. 

Pasteurization is of most avail immediately af- 
ter milking, when there are fewest germs to de- 
stroy. 

Pasteurized butter is now made in some dairies with 
good results. 

Frames and bottles can be purchased for pasteuriz- 
ing milk, and used with an ordinary kettle. The bot- 
tles should be filled within an inch of the top and 
stopped with antiseptic cotton, which should not be 
removed until the milk is used. 

To peptonize milk, see p. 12. 

Buttermilk 

Buttermilk, like skimmed milk, contains the nour- 
ishment of the milk without the fat. It retains, 
however, a very small proportion of fat — less than 
skimmed milk. It is very beneficial in some weak 
conditions of the stomach, fever, etc. 

Dr. Ballot, of Rotterdam, has had much to say about 
the value of buttermilk in the treatment of infants for 

27 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

summer complaint — cholera infantum, etc. Kumiss, 
or peptonized milk, might be found equally efficacious, 
and, in many cases, preferable. 

Whey 

Whey is not very nutritious, but as a drink in febrile 
or inflammatory conditions it is refreshing, and often 
beneficial. It promotes perspiration and acts on the 
kidneys. It is sometimes recommended to persons 
who find difficulty in retaining food on the stomach. 
However, in such cases kumiss would generally be of 
greater value. 

Clabbered Milk 

Set a quantity of skimmed milk away in a covered 
glass or china dish. When it turns — i.e., becomes 
smooth, firm, and jelly-like — it is ready to serve. Do 
not let it stand until the whey separates from the 
curd, or it will become acid or tough. Set it on the 
ice for an hour before it is to be used. Serve from 
the dish in which it has turned. Cut out carefully 
with a large spoon, put in saucers, and eat with cream 
and nutmeg. This is one of the most wholesome of 
dishes, and those to whom it is new soon acquire a 
taste for it. It is generally eaten with cream and 
sugar, and sometimes nutmeg. Some prefer taking it 
as a drink, beating it up until it becomes creamy. 

Malted Milk 

Malted milk is a proprietary article, composed of 
wheat and barley malt and of pasteurized milk. The 
caseine is prevented from coagulating in the stomach 
by some special process, and the starch is converted 
into soluble dextrine and maltose. 

28 



BEVERAGES AND FOODS 



Cottage Cheese 

Cottage cheese is made of the curd left after sepa- 
rating the whey from clabbered milk. 

Tie the clabbered milk in a cloth, hang it over- 
night, and let the whey drain out. 

Or, place a pan of clabbered milk over a kettle 
of boiling water until the whey becomes hot. If the 
pan is placed directly on the range, let the whey be- 
come merely hot and no more. The boiling - point 
would spoil the cheese by making it tough. The 
whey is then pressed from the curd, and the latter is 
mixed with cream or butter (or both) and salt, making 
the cheese rather moist, yet firm enough to mould into 
balls. 

No other form of cheese can be recommended for an 
invalid, because of its indigestible character. 

Kumiss 

This nutritious beverage, made of fermented milk, 
has been until comparatively recently unknown in our 
country. It has been used for centuries in Tartary 
and in Asiatic Russia. It is there chiefly made of 
mare's milk (see Appendix). Mare's milk differs from 
cow's milk, the former possessing (according to Pavy) 
a smaller amount of nitrogenous matter and butter, 
and a much larger amount of sugar. By adding 
sugar to cow's milk a kumiss may be obtained supe- 
rior in its nutritive properties to that made of mare's 
milk. 

Kumiss contains the full nutriment of milk and the 
stimulating qualities of wines and liquors without 
their ill effects. " It is," writes Mrs. Ernest Hart, 
" particularly appropriate in cases where the tempera- 
ture is high and the appetite impaired." 

29 






DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Dr. Dobell, of London, in his valuable work on 
Diet and Regimen, says : "' Kumiss, when properly 
prepared, is a highly refreshing, effervescent prepara- 
tion of milk, obtained by a natural process of fermen- 
tation, in which the albumen and caseine are partly 
digested, while its abundance of free carbonic acid 
makes it sedative to the most irritable stomach, so 
that it has succeeded in numerous cases, recorded by 
medical practitioners, where stimulants, beef -tea, and 
rectal enemata, aided by the most varied pharmaco- 
poeial treatment, had alike failed. 

" Its chief qualities are : 

" (a.) Its agreeable, refreshing, and highly digestible 
character. 

" (b.) Its attested and rare powers of nutrition in 
the most desperate cases of emaciation, chronic vomit- 
ing, dyspepsia, gastric pain, and irritability, and of 
debility following acute or accompanying chronic dis- 
eases. 

" (c.) The avidity and pleasure with which it is 
drunk by children, women, and men, in health and 
disease, and in its remarkable success in allaying vom- 
iting and gastralgia, and in restoring the nutrition." 

Dr. Roberts Barthelow,in his Materia Medica, says : 
" Kumiss differs from whey in containing the nutri- 
tive constituents of milk, and from milk itself in the 
important respect that it is, in addition, an effervescing, 
alcoholic fluid. . . . The tolerance of the stomach to 
kumiss is remarkable, even in cases of gastralgia. It 
improves the appetite and excites the action of the 
kidneys. The patients experience a pleasing exhilara- 
tion, due probably to the combined action of the car- 
bonic acid and the alcohol. It also causes somnolence 
during the day, and favors sleep at night, without 
leaving any after headache. Its most important ac- 

30 



BEVERAGES AND FOODS 

tion is the increase of the body nutrition. . . . Ku- 
miss possesses great value in the treatment of con- 
sumption, chronic bronchitis, the low stages of fever, 
the stage of convalescence from acute diseases — in 
fact, in all adynamic states in which the combined 
effect of alcohol and nutrients may be desirable." 

Jaqielsky says that he has had patients gain as 
much as ten pounds a month, when no other food was 
taken. 

Kumiss, in its administration, may be given like 
milk or beer. In extreme cases of feebleness of diges- 
tion, this being the only food, a glassful every two 
hours is sufficient. With increased facilit}^ of diges- 
tion and assimilation, from a quart to a gallon a day 
may be taken. When served with other food, a glass- 
ful can be drunk before or after a meal, as preferred. 
It is a food in itself — a solid food, like milk, containing 
all the elements or requisites of nutrition. It is es- 
timated that each quart of kumiss contains four ounces 
of solid food. 

There are two kinds of kumiss — one, quite acid, is 
that generally sold at pharmacies in the large cities ; 
the imported kumiss is also acid. The venders of this 
kumiss say that it improves with age, that which is 
two or three years old being considered especially 
good. This acid kumiss would be indicated in cases 
of fever, rheumatism, etc., when acid drinks, such as 
buttermilk, lemonade, etc., are relished. 

For a more ordinary and general drink the sweet 
kumiss (perhaps it can hardly be called sweet, as the 
flavor is pungent, not unlike beer), is preferable. This 
is at its best from four days to a month old. 

When it is desired to give kumiss to babies, they 
can either suck it from the end of the champagne-tap, 
the screw being turned very slightly, or a little ku- 

31 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

miss can be drawn into a pitcher and poured from one 
pitcher to another until most of the gas has escaped. 
The infant can then drink it as milk. 



To Make Kumiss 

The making of kumiss is very simple. It requires 
perfectly fresh milk, good yeast, a little sugar, strong 

bottLes (those used for champagne, 
beer, etc.), a corking - machine 
(price, fifty cents), a little tuition 
in the professional manner of tying 
corks in bottles, a thermometer, a 
funnel, and a cold, dark place in a 
cellar answering the purpose of a 
beer cave. In view of its explosive 
quality, a bottle of kumiss should 
not be opened without a cham- 
pagne-tap. 

Fill a quart bottle about three- 
quarters full of fresh milk, and add 
a table-spoonful of fresh (brewer's) 
^-;. lager-beer yeast, and a table-spoon- 
ful of sugar -syrup (the syrup is 
made allowing three lumps of 
sugar — little squares of loaf sugar 
— or a table-spoonful of granulat- 
ed white sugar, for each quart of 
milk; enough water to cover the 
sugar is added, and it is boiled a 
couple of minutes to make the syrup, not allowing it 
to candy) ; shake the bottle well for a full minute, to 
thoroughly mix all the ingredients, then fill it to with- 
in two or three inches of the top ; shake again, to 
get all well mixed. Cork it with a cork a third of a 
size larger than the mouth of the bottle. The corks 

32 




CORK MACHINE 



BEVERAGES AND FOODS 



must have been previously soaked for two or three 
hours, immersed in hot water over a warm stove, when 
they become soft ; they are then pushed through the 
corking-machine (see cut) with a hammer — or, better, 
a wooden mallet ; quite heavy and vigorous blows 
of the mallet on the handle of the machine will 
not break the bottle, as one might suppose. The 
corks are then tied. When this operation is all com- 
pleted, put the bottles in a standing position in an 
even temperature of about 52° Fahr.,* where they 
should remain for two and a half clavs. Some closed 
closet or cellar in winter, or a refrigerator in summer, 
will generally afford this temperature. This slow fer- 
mentation is desirable. At the end of the two days 
to two days and a half, place the bottles on their sides 
and on the stone floor of the darkest and coolest place 
in the cellar — or, in default of such place, in a refriger- 
ator. Many consider kumiss at its best when it is 
five or six days old, but it can be kept indefinitely if 
retained in a temperature not above 52°. The colder 
it is kept without freezing the better. The brewer's 
lager-beer yeast is decidedly the best for making the 
sweet kumiss, imparting to it a beer flavor. As the 
kumiss is drawn it should appear in the glass like thick 
whipped cream. The kumiss will become acid by long 
standing, or by placing it in a higher temperature. 

Yery good kumiss can also be made with Fleisch- 
man's Compressed Yeast. A fifth of a two-cent cake 
of this yeast to a quart of milk is the proper propor- 
tion. It should be well dissolved before it is added to 
the milk. The proportion of sugar or syrup is the 
same as when the other yeast is used. 

* Originally, the kumiss was left at this stage at a temperature 
of 62° for two and a half days, but experiment has proved that a 
temperature as low as 52° produces even better results, 
c 33 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 



If the milk is quite fresh and sweet, and the bot- 
tles are perfectly clean and free from acid, there is 
little danger of the kumiss curdling. If it should 
become curdled, it can be used for cooking purposes. 
It makes the best of biscuits, pancakes, or anything 
which can be made with sour milk. 

Most of the medical works 
advise the use of old kumiss 
instead of yeast to produce 
fermentation. This is not 




HOW TO SECURE A KUMISS BOTTLE 

recommended. After 
the kumiss is made one 
or two days, a thick 
curd (the caseine) will 
generalty be found at 
the top. It is advisable, although not necessary, to 
turn the bottles two or three times (not shaking them, 
for fear of explosion), so as to mix this curd with the 
liquid below. When the bottles are turned to the 
side (after the two and a half days), the caseine is 

34 



BEVERAGES AND FOODS 

loosened from the top, and, when the kumiss is drawn, 
the effervescing gas accomplishes the mixing. 

To Tie the Bottles. — With a strong hemp twine 
make a loop as in Fig. 1, p. 34. 

In Fig. 2, the twine at a is drawn up, and in Fig. 3 
it is placed over the top of the cork. The two ends, 
b, b, are drawn as firmly as possible under the rim of 
the bottle, c, as in Fig. 3. 

The ends, b, b, are then tied firmly over the top of 
the cork, Fig. 4. If the twine is not quite strong, the 
bottle can be doubly tied. 

The Corks. — The corks should be obtained at a cork 
factory or a wholesale cork store. The directories 
in the larger cities will give such addresses. They 
there cost fifty to sixty cents a gross, instead of a cent 
each, as at the druggists'. The straight cork used by 
the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association is of the 
proper size and of the best quality. The necks of 
champagne and beer bottles are of the same size, the 
same cork answering for both. 

To Clean the Bottles. — If the kumiss is not acid, 
merely cleansing the bottles, as soon as emptied, and 
filling them with cold water will be sufficient. If any 
acid remain in the bottle, shake it well, half filled with 
water, with a half-teaspoonful of soda added. Pour 
this out, add another half-teaspoonful of soda, fill the 
bottle with water, and let it remain until it is wanted 
for use, when it should be rinsed with fresh water. 

The Champagne- Tap. — It must be repeated that 
the kumiss bottle should never be opened except by 
a champagne-tap. The best one for the purpose that 

35 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

the writer has found is represented in the following 
cut. 




After the tap is in the bottle, keep the neck of 
the bottle always down, to prevent the escape of gas. 
Keep the bottle also in a cool, dark place. 

It has occurred to the writer that the making of 
kumiss might often afford profitable employment for 
women. After perfecting themselves in its manufact- 
ure, they might send notices and samples to neigh- 
boring physicians, and then sell it through the agency 
of druggists or grocers; the latter having generally 
better means for the transportation and delivery of 
articles. The difficulty in procuring quite fresh milk 
in the large cities might preclude its best manufact- 
ure there. 

The above has been taken, almost unchanged, from 
Messrs. Harper & Brothers' Diet for the SicJc, pub- 
lished in 1884. But the present writer also has seen 
the admirable effects of kumiss in typhoid fever in 
the government hospitals since the late war (in Au- 
gust, 1898). It was tolerated by the patients when 
milk was rejected, and it allayed thirst and supplied 
nourishment at the same time. When they were able 
to take it, it relieved also the extreme emaciation of 
the sufferers from fevers induced by exposure and 
starvation. (See chapter on Fevers.) 

Alcohol 

Of the physiological effects of alcohol Mrs. Ernest 
Hart writes : " It is one of those substances which have 

36 



BEVERAGES AND FOODS 



the power of producing apparently opposite results. 
In small quantities it stimulates the action of the 
heart, in large it depresses it ; in small quantities it 
increases the action of the gastric juice, in large it 
destroys the pepsin and arrests digestion ; in small 
quantities it has an exhilarating effect on the ner- 
vous system, in large it is narcotic." 

Many poisons, however, administered in small quan- 
tities, raise the pulse and temperature ; and the con- 
sequent stimulation of the nervous system and of all 
the secretions is the effort of nature to throw them 
off. With larger quantities, nature is drugged, and 
the poisons act as narcotics. "When alcohol is given 
in illness, it should be remembered that, as a rule, the 
reaction is equal to the stimulation. It is sometimes 
greater; and then the demand on the reserve force, 
which is already diminished, is increased, and the pa- 
tient is threatened with "physiological bankruptcy." 

In illness the use of alcoholic stimulants should be 
surrounded with every possible precaution. The ex- 
act dose should be prescribed by the physician, and, 
when practicable, the intervals at which it is to be ad- 
ministered. As little responsibility as possible should 
be thrown on the nurse. 

Dr. Fothergill, a distinguished English physician, 
sums up the question of the use of spirituous liquors 
as follows : " Alcohol is a good servant, but a bad 
master. In its use we must not forget its possible 
abuse." Dr. Foote, an able physician, who has for 
many years been at the head of an inebriate asylum 
in Connecticut, observes that the custom of habitually 
serving highly seasoned food at the home table cre- 
ates an appetite for stronger stimulants, which grows 
and becomes morbid by continued indulgence. The 
stomach gradually acquires an unnatural and unheal- 

37 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

thy desire which can finally only be satisfied with fiery 
liquors. Pepper, Dr. Foote considers the most per- 
nicious of spices, perhaps because it is most generally 
used. Tea and coffee, and all articles which tend to 
excite irritation or create unnatural stimulus, should, 
he believes, be discarded, in the treatment of inebriates. 
Besides the general remedies administered for febrile 
conditions, the chief point is to regulate their diet so 
that the stomach will gradually become accustomed 
to simple food. 

In cases of illness where the craving for stimulants 
remains when the need for them no longer exists, a diet 
nourishing but with little or no meat will frequently re- 
move this craving, which is often the result of an under- 
vitalized condition. Liebig says : " The use of spirits 
is not the cause but an effect of poverty"; and it is to 
be wished that those who complain of the drunken- 
ness of the poor would more often remember this truth. 
In fact, when it is appreciated that drunkenness is a 
disease, often hereditary, to be treated by diet, change 
of air and scene, restoration of moral tone and will- 
power in the patient, and a rational course of medi- 
cine — our prisons, our lunatic asylums, and our poor- 
houses will lose many inmates, and the world will be 
the gainer in the industry and morality of those who 
are saved thereby. 

Regarding the action and effects of alcohol when 
taken habitually, the writer has quoted from Pro- 
fessor You mans and others. (See Appendix, p. 253.) 
It should be remembered by " moderate drinkers " 
that a habit, in their case easily relinquished, may, 
if indulged in and inherited by their children, become 
an irresistible propensity in succeeding generations. 

Neither wine nor beer should be taken by an invalid 
unless prescribed by a physician. 

38 



BEVERAGES AND FOODS 

Malt Extract 

Several preparations of malt extract are offered 
which are valuable, from an alimentary point of view, 
as aiding in the digestion of starch or farinaceous 
foods. (See Malted Milk.) 

Malt is made by allowing barley to germinate, and 
the germination is arrested at a certain temperature. 
As a result, a peculiar nitrogenous principle called 
diastase is developed, which has the power of convert- 
ing starch into dextrine and sugar. An infusion of 
malted barley is reduced to a syrupy consistency at a 
low temperature without impairing the fermenting 
power of the diastase, and this is called malt extract. 

When the digestive powers are weak the extract is 
often valuable, although it should be taken with or 
just after farinaceous food. 

The malt extract is also indicated when the mouth 
is dry, denoting feeble action of the salivary glands. 
Dr. Roberts suggests that the extract should be 
spread upon bread and butter, or used to sweeten 
puddings and gruels. 

Grape Juice 

The value of simple grape juice as a beverage has 
become known only of late years, principal attention 
heretofore having been directed to its fermentation 
into wine. For the invalid the simple grape juice is 
far preferable, the natural tonic of the grape being 
obtained without the inflammatorv effects of alcohol. 
In flavor the natural bouquet of the grape is preserved. 
~No beverage, aside from water, is more generally 
wholesome and palatable. In some of the hygienic 
institutes it is prepared in large quantities and drunk 
in place of tea or coffee at meals. 

39 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Its preparation, according to Dr. Dodds, of St. 
Louis, is as follows : Take grapes thoroughly ripe 
and fresh from the vine. The Concord and Isabella 
are especially good, but any fresh, ripe, and juicy 
grape may be used. Allow one quart of water to 
three quarts of grapes freed from the stems. Use no 
sugar. Let it come slowly to a boil, and when the 
whole mass is boiling hot strain the juice through a 
cheese-cloth, flour sack, or other strong cloth. Then 
return the liquor to the fire, and as soon as it is at the 
boiling-point again pour into cans and seal. 

The less the fruit or juice is cooked the brighter 
will be its color and the better the natural flavor of 
the grape will be retained. This, like all other articles 
to be canned, must be at the boiling-point when it is 
sealed. If the juice is to be used at once it should not 
be brought to the boiling-point a second time. Use 
wooden spoons in its preparation, and only glass jars 
for keeping it. The action of any acid substance on 
tin is to corrode it and thus poison the fruit. 

Grape juice, as sold, is frequently not hermetically 
sealed — a circumstance which indicates the presence 
of salicylic acid or some other artificial preservative. 

Before heating the grapes see that all the necessary 
preparations are complete — viz., that the jars and cov- 
ers are clean, the covers fitted, and the hot water 
ready for holding the jars, etc. 

To avoid breaking the jars, manage them as follows : 
When the grape juice is nearly ready for canning, fill 
a large wooden tub about three-quarters full with 
water quite hot, but below the boiling-point. Holding 
the jar sidewise, roll it over quickly in the water, and 
then set it right side up with the water in and around 
it. Continue in the same manner with other jars. 
Place the covers also in hot water. The juice being 

40 



BEVERAGES AND FOODS 

ready to be canned, roll one of the jars again quickly 
in the hot water, empty it, place it on a tin platter, 
and pour into it the boiling juice, rather slowly at 
first. Wipe the moisture from the top of the can, 
adjust the rubber ring, and screw on the top (taken 
from the hot water and wiped dry) until it clasps the 
rubber tightly all around. Do it all as quickly as pos- 
sible. Set this jar aside and proceed in the same way 
with the others. After the jars are cool enough to 
handle, screw down the tops again, and when entirely 
cold give them another twist in order that the sealing 
may be perfect. The best plan is to let them stand 
twenty-four hours and to tighten them from time to 
time. Last of all, wipe them clean with a damp 
cloth, and set them away in a dark, cool closet or cel- 
lar. If no dark cellar be at hand, wrap the bottles 
in heavy brown paper to exclude the light. The cooler 
they are kept without freezing the better. 



FOODS 

Animal Foods — Meats 

Of all the animal foods, beef is the most important. 
Because of its fine texture and richness in red -blood 
juices, it furnishes more nutriment in proportion to 
weight than any other meat. Like bread, it rarely 
palls on the appetite. The quality of beef depends 
much on the age and manner of feeding the ox. To 
be at perfection, the animal should be four years old, 
not worked, and partly corn-fed. 

There are few diseases which are not aggravated 
by the excessive use of animal food. In certain con- 
ditions of the system, especially where there is a ten- 
dency to gout, inflammation, or hemorrhage, beef, or 
even beef-tea, is strongly to be condemned. 

41 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Mutton and venison are regarded as the most di- 
gestible of all the meats. Mutton is popularly sup- 
posed to be a lighter food than beef, the latter being 
adapted to physical exercise, while mutton is rather a 
food for persons of sedentary habits, and for invalids. 
Dr. Smith, in an interesting work on Foods, says 
that Kean suited the kind of meat which he ate to the 
part which he was about to play, and selected mutton 
for lovers, beef for murderers, and pork for tyrants. 

Mutton broth has less nutritive value than beef 
broth. 

Venison. — When sufficiently hung and tender, veni- 
son outranks all meats in point of digestibility. It is 
also palatable and highly nutritious. 

Veal and Lanib. — Although the flesh of young ani- 
mals is more tender than that of old, it is less digesti- 
ble and less nutritious. The tissues of young animals 
are more gelatinous than those of the adult, the latter 
containing more of fibrin and of the flavoring prin- 
ciple, osmazome. 

Pork. — Unless it be a small, thin slice of breakfast- 
bacon taken as a relish, pork should be excluded 
from the invalid's dietary. Although it is an inexpen- 
sive meat and an appetizing one for many, and per- 
haps an unobjectionable one for laboring men, yet, on 
account of the uncertain feeding of the animal and 
the hardness of its muscular fibre, it is doubtful 
whether pork should be used at all by people of seden- 
tary habits. 

Lard and pork have seemed indispensable for fry- 
ing, and for larding and seasoning. But many per- 
sons now use cotton-seed oil (which has quite the 
flavor of olive oil) for cooking — using it in place of 
lard for every purpose for which lard was formerly 
used. 

42 



BEVERAGES AND FOODS 

The table inserted below, giving the relative nutri- 
tive and other values of the five animal foods princi- 
pally used, is taken from Dr. Bellows's Philosophy of 
Eating. 

In one hundred parts are contained : 





Mineral matter, 

or food for the 

brain, etc. 


Fibrin and albumen, 

or food for muscles 

and tissues. 


Fat, or food 
for heat. 


Water. 


Veal 


4.5 


16.5 


16.5 


62.5 


Beef. . . 


... 5.0 


15.0 


30.0 


50.0 


Mutton 


3.5 


12.5 


40.0 


44.0 




... 3.5 


12 


34.0 


50.5 


Pork. .. 


1.5 


10.0 


50.0 


38.5 



Undoubtedly too much meat is generally eaten by 
persons of sedentary habits, resulting in dyspepsia, 
gout, etc. In cold weather, and with much physical 
exercise, the system demands it, but in temperate or 
warm weather a greater proportion of cereal food 
would improve the general health. 

Meats should not be served to invalids cooked a sec- 
ond time. The flavoring principle, osmazome, is dissi- 
pated alter the first cooking, and the meat must de- 
pend upon outside seasonings for flavor. The tissues 
are also less tender. 

Salted Meats 

On account of the toughness of fibre resulting from 
the curing process, these meats are difficult of diges- 
tion, and should never be used in the sick-room. 

Bacon, however, is given broiled, by some physi- 
cians, to patients suffering from wasting diseases, or 
recovering from fevers, as it supplies fat in an appe- 
tizing form. Pavy states that pork is the only meat 
which is more digestible when salted. 

43 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

POULTET 

Poultry, while as nourishing as the brown meats— 
i.e., beef, mutton, etc. — is more digestible and less stim- 
ulating, and can often be tolerated when the latter are 
forbidden, especially in gout and inflammatory dis- 
eases. The same may generally be said of game and 
of domestic and wild birds, and these also serve to 
vary the diet and tempt the appetite of the invalid. 

Fish 

Fish is a nourishing and digestible food for conva- 
lescents if served quite fresh and broiled or boiled. It 
affords a pleasant change of food. 

Oysters 

Oysters are nutritious and generally well borne by 
delicate stomachs. Dr. William Roberts, in his work 
On the Digestive Ferments, advances an interesting 
theory in relation to oysters as a food. He claims 
that the effect of cooking is to diminish their digesti- 
bility, which would make oysters the exception in this 
respect among the articles that furnish albuminoid 
matter. He explains his reasons by saying that the 
fawn-colored part of the oyster, containing about half 
its substance, is its liver, composed partly of glycogen. 
Associated with this, but withheld from actual con- 
tact with it during life, is its appropriate digestive fer- 
ment — diastase. Mastication mixes these constituents, 
and they are digested without other aid — in fact, they 
digest themselves. Cooking destroys the digesting 
properties of the diastase, and then the oyster has 
to be digested like other food — by the eater's own 
digestive power. 

Other authorities question and doubt Dr. Roberts's 

44 



BEVERAGES AND FOODS 

theory. The excessive use of condiments — salt, pep- 
per, lemon-juice, and vinegar — more especially pepper 
— combined with imperfect mastication, may possibly 
impair the wholesomeness of raw oysters to many 
persons.* The hard portion, or muscle, which fastens 
the oyster to the shell, should be removed in all cases 
when oysters are served for weak stomachs. 

The author would recommend oyster soup, proper- 
ly prepared (the oysters slightly cooked), as the best 
mode of administering oysters to an invalid. The 
flavor of the juice and the extra nourishment furnish- 
ed by the cream or milk used, together with the ad- 
vantage which foods served warm afford to digestion, 
would be good reasons for preferring stews or soups 
to other ways of serving oysters. 

Dr. Bellows, in his Philosophy of Eating, speaking 
of oysters, says: " They have not, as food, the muscle- 
making elements of the Crustacea or other active fish ; 
and although their chemical composition indicates 
phosphatic salts, they are mostly salts of lime, which go 
to form the shell and to make bone rather than a food 
for the brain and nervous system. Oysters, therefore, 
are very unsatisfactory food for laboring men, but 
will do for the sedentary and for a supper to sleep on. 
They contain but seven and a half per cent, of solid 
matter, including fibrin, albumen, gelatin, mucus, and 
osmazome ; and much of that is gelatin, which af- 
fords no nourishment, while butcher's meat contains 
on an average twenty-five per cent., and the poorest 
fishes contain fourteen per cent., of pure nitrates. The 
nitrates in oysters are" in the form of albumen, like 
the white of an egg ; they are, therefore, more easilv 



* Whatever the cause, the fact remains that many persons find 
raw oysters indigestible. 

45 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

digested in a raw state than when cooked, but when 
stewed are not indigestible." 

Fats 

We have heretofore too little appreciated the impor- 
tance of fat in our dietaries. "Without knowing why, 
fat has generally been considered unwholesome, tend- 
ing to produce biliousness, corpulence, and heat, besides 
being a general clog and burden in all digestive proc- 
esses. Oil has been avoided ; butter on bread has been 
scraped down to the smallest quantity, and the fat of 
meat has been sedulously trimmed. 

Fat is as necessary to the system as are the muscle- 
making elements of food. It not only serves to pro- 
duce heat, but has an essential share in the tissue- 
forming process. It does not produce the material, 
but influences the assimilation of other food. It is 
important for the renewal of tissue in every organ of 
the body, and is an essential constituent of the brain 
and nervous system. A diet with a deficiency of fat 
tends to produce diseased conditions in the direction 
of scrofula and consumption. Cod -liver oil is not 
properly a medicine ; it is a fatty diet given with a 
view of supplying what is supposed to be lacking in 
the system. It is affirmed that if one takes and as- 
similates a sufficient quantity of fat in the ordinary 
diet, one is not liable to have consumption or nervous 
diseases. 

Fat constitutes a considerable proportion in foods 
supplying all the necessary elements for sustaining 
life — for instance, in milk, eggs, etc. The yolk of the 
egg is about one-third fat. 

A recent writer observes : " If the inhabitants of the 
Arctic regions gorge themselves with animal fat, those 
of warm countries take the same thing in vegetable 

46 



BEVERAGES AND FOODS 

oils. In most warm climates olive/oil is taken, and 
in India ghee, with no inconvenience to digestion and 
with unmistakable benefit." 

An interesting article on the subject of fats, by Dr. 
Radcliff e, was published in the Popular Science Month- 
ly (March, 1883). It is in the form of a dialogue be- 
tween a physician and a young man who had eaten a 
breakfast of lean meat and toast in anticipation of a 
hard day's rowing. The physician explains to the young 
man his mistake, and shows that, as force-producing 
agents, fat and oil are as necessary as fibrin or albumen. 

He says: " I find that very many persons suffering 
from various chronic disorders of the nervous system 
have abstained from the fatty and oily articles of food, 
and that their state is almost invariably very much 
changed for the better when induced to take what 
they have avoided." 

Because we have, perhaps, been mistaken in taking 
too little fat in the past, it is not recommended that 
too large a quantity be taken in the future. Pavy 
holds that the supply ought not to be less, even with 
inactivity, than one ounce daily, and that about two 
and a half ounces should constitute the average amount 
in the dietaries recommended for working-people. 

Fresh milk supplies fat in proper proportions. 
Cream and butter furnish the most assimilable fat. 
Bread generously buttered (not too much so, however), 
meat with streaks of fat, and the oil dressing on sal- 
ads will ordinarily afford a sufficient supply. Pork fat 
is the most objectionable of the fats to persons of sed- 
entary habits. 

Dobell says : " When it is necessary, for any special 
object,* to reduce the quantity of carbon taken in the 



* For instance, to reduce corpulency. — Ed. 
47 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

aliments, this can more safely be done by diminishing' 
the saccharine, amylaceous (sugar and starch) matters, 
than the fat." 

Fothergill writes : " Fat-eating among adults is fort- 
unately on the increase at the present day." 

Gelatin 

Jellies and blanc -mange made with gelatin are 
very appetizing, but cannot be relied on as furnishing 
nourishment. Calf's -foot jelly was once, but is no 
longer, regarded as a valuable dish in the sick-room. 
It is a very pleasant vehicle for serving wine or milk. 
Several years ago a committee was appointed by the 
French Academy of Sciences to ascertain the dietetic 
value of gelatin. This was on account of the fact 
that gelatinous extract of bones was being fed to the 
inmates of hospitals with apparently deleterious re- 
sults. The commission, with Magentie at its head, 
reported gelatin to be substantially worthless as a 
diet. 

But Pavy, writing later, states that the question 
of the alimentary value of gelatin is still " involved 
in some degree of uncertainty "; and Mattieu Williams 
and other recent writers contend that, by the addition 
of flavoring matter and of a small quantity of meat 
extract to gelatin, it becomes of considerable nutritive 
value. 

Egos 

The theory that eggs contain, in proper proportion, 
all the elements needed for nutrition is now aban- 
doned, but they are still regarded as among the most 
valuable, though not the most digestible, foods. They 
are largely composed of nitrogenous elements (the 
white being almost pure albumen), and are therefore 

48 



BEVERAGES AND FOODS 

undesirable for invalids suffering from Bright' s disease 
or gout. If used for such patients, only the yolks are 
allowed, and those in moderation. They are more 
easily digested when taken raw or slightly cooked, as 
described for poached eggs (cooked in water below the 
boiling-point). Continued boiling, or cooking in any 
manner, toughens the albumen and renders it difficult 
of digestion. Indeed, a valuable cement is made by 
thickening the white of egg with powdered quick- 
lime, and heating it. The whole egg can be made 
hard and tough enough by heating to become a cement 
of itself. 



VEGETABLE FOODS 

Rice 

Rice is very rich in starch, and poor in fat and al- 
buminous matter. It contains less than half the mus- 
cle-supporting elements of wheat, and only one-fourth 
as much of those elements which sustain the brain and 
nerves. The deficiencies, however, can be supplied 
by cooking rice with milk or eggs. 

It requires little more than an hour for the process 
of digestion. In certain conditions of the stomach 
and bowels it is valuable, but when the power of as- 
similation is defective, rice should not be administered. 
It apparently forms a mucilaginous coating to the 
stomach and intestines which diminishes appetite 
without supplying adequate nourishment. 

Rice - water, a thin mucilage, is a drink often ad- 
ministered with benefit in fevers and in inflammation 
of the bowels. 

Corn-starch and Arrowroot 

Corn -starch, and arrowroot, composed chiefly of 
starch, are inadequate to sustain life without the ad- 
dition of milk or other nutritive substances. 

Sago and Tapioca 

These are also starch foods, and they rank very low 
from an alimentary point of view. They are chiefly 
used as agreeable additions to custard puddings, and 
as a thickening for soups. 

50 



VEGETABLE FOODS 

Beans and Peas 

These are rich in nutritious material. Their muscle- 
making element is not gluten, as in the grains, but 
caseine, as in cheese, a substance not so easily digested 
as gluten, and therefore only adapted to persons with 
good powers of digestion. 

Sea-moss Faeine and Sea-moss 

An article is sold at the grocers' called sea-moss 
farine. It is an excellent preparation, especially valu- 
able for invalids, and can be made into various blanc- 
manges and puddings, according to directions accom- 
panying the packages. It is an important health-food. 

Sea - moss is nutritious, digestible, and wholesome. 
Its flavor takes one to the sea -shore, it matters not 
how far away. The blanc-manges made from the 
Irish and Iceland mosses are especially good. 



VEGETABLE ACIDS AND FRUITS 

Tomatoes 

The tomato, according to Dio Lewis, is a medicinal 
vegetable containing some amount of calomel — enough 
to produce a degree of salivation if used too freely. 
He thinks the tomato should be used moderately in 
cooked form, as a sauce, etc. He has known, in his 
practice, of patients suffering with sore mouths, tender 
and bleeding gums, and with loose teeth, etc., pro- 
duced by the immoderate use of tomatoes. 

However wholesome a certain amount of cooked 
fresh tomatoes may be, the physicians generally de- 
nounce the use of them when put up in tin cans. The 
tendency of the acid of the vegetable is to corrode 
the tin, and thereby, in some degree, to poison the 
contents. 

Fruits — Grapes, Bananas, etc. 

Fruits are cooling, aperient, and nutritious, and are 
almost as necessary to a healthful diet as the grains, 
especially in warm climates, supplying grateful acids 
and fluids. Different varieties of fruits follow each 
other in close succession during the season of growth, 
the acid fruits coming generally in the spring, when 
the system needs anti-bilious food after the winter 
dietary. 

Next to the apple, the king of fruits, the grape is 
probably the most valuable in our climate. After 

52 



VEGETABLE ACIDS AND FRUITS 

eating the grape regularly for some time, when freshly 
plucked from the vine and redolent of the sun, general 
exhilaration is produced ; the blood seems richer and a 
healthy color comes to the cheeks. Besides the tonic 
effect, the grape contains much nourishment. 

They have in France, Switzerland, and Germany 
what are called grape-cures, where persons suffering 
from dyspepsia, scrofula, gout, and cutaneous diseases, 
and convalescents from fevers, are treated during the 
grape season with much success. Patients eat the 
grapes several times a day, and at regular intervals, 
generally taking nothing with them but bread-and- 
butter and water. Dr. Barthelow says, however: 
" The influence of change of air, of scenery, and of the 
hygienic rules enforced at these resorts should not be 
ignored in an estimate of the value of the method." 
Hot -house grapes, and the California grapes after 
transportation to the Eastern States, will not answer 
the purpose, nor take the place of the Isabella, Con- 
cord, Cataw T ba, and other varieties grown in the open 
air, fully ripe and fresh from the vine. 

Another nutritive fruit is the banana.. It is regard- 
ed by some authorities as indigestible, probably be- 
cause it is often plucked too green. It contains a 
large percentage of starch and sugar, and enough 
nitrogenous matter to make it of alimentary value. 
It is similar in composition to the potato. In some 
tropical countries it is much used as food. 

For invalids, berries with hard seeds — strawberries, 
raspberries, etc. — are often indigestible. Many of our 
marketable strawberries are so very acid and devoid 
of flavor that they, especially, cannot be recommend- 
ed to invalids. 

Stewed fruits (compotes) are very wholesome and 
beneficial. They should be served in some form every 

53 



' 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

day (provided a laxative diet is not at the time ob- 
jectionable), except (when prepared with sugar) to 
gouty or diabetic patients. 

When oranges — and they are especially excellent in 
all febrile conditions — are administered to invalids, 
they should be quite sweet. There seem to be as 
many varieties of oranges as of apples. Although a 
juicy, crisp, moderately sweet, and well - ripened apple 
is the most wholesome and digestible of fruits, there 
are apples which defy the ordinary stomach ; so it 
is with some oranges, which are only fit for orange- 
ade.* The sweet, juicy, thin-skinned Florida orange, 
and the rougher-skinned, though juicy and sweet, Ha- 
vana orange, can be judiciously given to almost any in- 
valid, while their more common and acrid relatives 
should be as carefully avoided. 

Baked apples served with cream and sugar are a 
standard dish for the sick-room. They are digestible, 
laxative, and wholesome. 

The dried fruits, especially the California dried pears 
and the white apple -chips, are very refreshing and 
safe, and should be freely used when fresh fruits can- 
not be obtained. 

If fruits are not quite ripe, or do not agree with 
the patient, cooking them with sugar increases their 
digestibility — except in cases of gout, when the union 
of vegetable acids with sugar is almost invariably in- 
jurious. 

Acid fruits put up in tin cans are of exceedingly 
doubtful value. If they taste of the tin, they are not 
at all doubtful. Avoid them. Probably, in the fut- 
ure, tomatoes and acid fruits will be generally put up 
in glass jars, if something less breakable than glass, 
and without the objections to tin, cannot be found. 
Here is an opportunity for some inventor. 

54 



VEGETABLE ACIDS AND FKUITS 

A method of neutralizing the acids of fruits and of 
cooking them without sugar is described on p. 241. 

SUGAR 

It has been the fashion of late years to condemn the 
use of sugar. Undoubtedly it acts as a poison in some 
diseases — in certain forms of gout, for instance, and in 
diabetes. From some obscure cause the liver, in these 
conditions, declines to do its part, and throws the sugar 
back into the circulation and on the kidneys. 

Sugar, however, has its distinct use as a heat-giving 
food, and even as a flesh-former. Recent experiments 
by the German Department of War prove conclusively 
that nothing repairs exhausted energy and braces the 
muscles to continued effort so effectually as sugar. It 
was found that the subjects of the experiments (who 
were ignorant of the fact that they were being ex- 
perimented on) were capable of much longer and 
harder labor on the days when sugar was adminis- 
tered. 

One disadvantage of taking too much sugar is be- 
lieved to be that it accumulates in the system. 

Honey, a concentrated solution of sugar, is often 
tolerated when sugar is not. It is slightly laxative, 
and has been used in insomnia with good results. 
Diabetin, a sugar derived from fruits, is said to be a 
good substitute for cane or beet sugar. 

Saccharin 

Glycerin, which was formerly given as a substitute 
for sugar, is now rarely used. It produces intestinal 
disturbances and leaves a constant sweet taste in the 
mouth. Its place is taken by saccharin, a product of 
coal-tar, which is especially serviceable in gout, rheu- 
matism, diabetes, and in cases of obesity where the 

55 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

privation of sugar causes a craving for it. Saccharin 
is antiseptic. When pure, it is from two hundred and 
thirty to three hundred times as sweet as cane-sugar, 
and, if taken in reasonable quantity — not more than 
two grains daily — may be used for months without 
injurious results. A larger amount interferes with 
digestion. 

Saccharin is a patented article, and it is asserted by 
the manufacturers that it develops its sweetness only 
when mixed with other articles of food " or diluted in 
proper proportion "; that it does not ferment or turn 
sour ; and that it is a preservative of food. It is ob- 
tained in this country, for general use, in three forms : 
1. As a powder, three-quarters of an ounce of which 
equals, in sweetening power, twenty-five pounds of 
sugar. 2. In tablets, in less concentrated form, one of 
which is the equivalent of one cube of cut loaf-sugar. 
3. In tablets, also less concentrated, combined with 
bicarbonate of soda. These tablets are intended to be 
used with tea, coffee, lemonade, etc. The first — the 
powder — is intended for cooking purposes. It must 
not be brought in contact with iron or copper vessels, 
and porcelain-lined or earthenware saucepans should 
always be used for it. The dishes of which it is an 
ingredient should be cooked and served in glass or 
china. 

Saccharin Syrup 

To dissolve the powder, add one quart of hot water 
and half an ounce of bicarbonate of soda to one ounce 
of saccharin, and put away for use. A fluid ounce 
of this solution equals one pound of sugar in sweeten- 
ing power. 

In England, tabloids of saccharin, of much greater 
strength, are used in cooking, dissolved in brandy. 

56 









VEGETABLE ACIDS AND FRUITS 

SALTS 

Salts are necessary to regulate the density of the 
blood and to supply the material needed to build up 
the bones, nails, teeth, and hair. Vegetable salts, 
which exist in most fruits and in some vegetables, 
maintain the alkalinity of the blood, and, though of 
little nutritive value, are important as aiding in the 
digestion and assimilation of food. 

Of the organic salts, chloride of sodium, or common 
salt, is found in every secretion of the body. It is es- 
sential to digestion. It exists in food— in milk, vege- 
tables, meat, etc.— in almost sufficient quantities to 
satisfy the demands of the system ; but a small addi- 
tional amount is required. 

Salt taken in excess causes diarrhea, eruption of the 
skin, irritation of the mucous membrane, and paralysis 
of the nerves of taste, and also imposes an undue tax 
on the kidneys. 



HEALTH FOODS AND OTHER GRAIN 
PREPARA T10NS 

The preparations of cereals, known as Health Foods, 
have produced the most gratifying results. These 
foods are of great value to the invalid. Indeed, they 
constitute a pleasant and wholesome diet in health as 
well as in illness. 

The manufacture of foods by methods based on 
careful scientific investigation, specially adapted to the 
needs of different individuals and diseases— for in- 
stance, foods for the corpulent or the excessively lean, 
for infants, for diabetics and dyspeptics, and for per- 
sons generally debilitated, where serviceable treat- 
ment must be chiefly dietetic — is of especial value. 

Heretofore in the treatment of diabetes, where the 
patient is obliged to eschew all foods containing starch 
or sugar (thereby depriving him of bread and all grain 
preparations), the physician has had much embarrass- 
ment. The " Diabetic Food," consisting of gluten, 
which is nutritious and very digestible, is a boon to 
these sufferers. 

It is known that heretofore in milling wheat the 
most nutritive portion of the grain, the gluten, lying 
next to the hull, was removed, leaving white flour, 
chiefly composed of starch and incapable of sustaining 
life. 

A noted physician has said : " The farmer knows 
how to feed his land, his horses, his cattle, and his 

58 






HEALTH FOODS 

pigs ; but not how to feed his children. The fine 
flour, containing neither food for brain nor muscle, 
he gives to his children, and the whole grain or the 
bran and coarser part, containing food for brain and 
muscle, he gives to his pigs." 

Formerly, in the preparation .of Graham flour and 
cracked wheat, although the full nutriment of the 
grain was preserved, the hull — a woody, fibrous skin 
— was retained. This proved to be irritating to some 
delicate stomachs, although certain authorities hold 
that it serves a good purpose for vigorous persons — 
m, of promoting by a healthy irritation the secre- 
tions and motion of the bowels. 

The Health-food Company obviates this, and man- 
ufactures, besides flour with its full richness of gluten, 
coarser preparations of the cereals, such as granulated 
wheat, oats, barley, corn, etc., with the silicious skin 
removed. 

Among other of the health-food preparations are 
crackers made of the cold - blast flour, gluten, oats, 
granulated wheat, etc. The " Universal Food " is 
also highly recommended. 

The manufacturers of what is known as the new 
patent -process flour claim that it also contains the 
full gluten of the grain. The flour is necessarily of a 
creamy color, gluten being light brown in appearance. 
This flour can be obtained of grocers in all of the 
large cities. If the flour sold for the " new-process " 
flour is quite white, it is not genuine. If the neces- 
sary amount of gluten is retained it must color it to 
some extent — indeed, to the extent of giving it a de- 
cidedly creamy hue. 

The best oatmeal is the imported Irish oatmeal. It 
is more palatable than the Scotch or American oat- 
meal, and the grain is much larger. 

59 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

The concentrated foods so industriously advertised 
are not generally recommended by the best author- 
ities. A certain amount of bulk is necessary, and the 
less nutritive portions of food often perform a very 
necessary function in the processes of digestion. 



DIET FOR INFANTS 

As many admirable books have been published de- 
voted exclusively to Diet for Infants, the subject will 
only be briefly treated in this work. 

Resort to artificial food, though sometimes neces- 
sary, is always unfortunate for the baby. Trouble 
then begins. The baby fortunate enough to have a 
healthy mother and a natural diet acquires a strength 
and vigor which are of incalculable value in after-life. 

For the first three days of the baby's life a little 
sweetened water in a spoon is all-sufficient. It is de- 
sirable to adopt, as far as practicable, regular periods 
for nursing. Once in every three hours during the 
daytime and about twice at night for the first month 
will generally be sufficient. After the first month 
three times during the day and once in the night will 
ordinarily suffice. This may be continued until the 
child is six months old. 

According to many and the best authorities, no far- 
inaceous food or thickening of any kind whatever 
should be given to a child under six months old. (See 
Appendix, p. 267.) The child is until then "wholly 
unprovided with the physiological machinery requisite 
for the digestion of starchy foods." After six months 
the capacity for digesting starchy foods commences, 
and then a little gruel of sifted Graham flour, or bar- 
ley, or corn-meal may be given. If the mother can 
nurse the child even partially, it is better to do so. If 

61 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

sbe cannot nurse the child at all, of course it is far 
better to procure a wet-nurse than to resort to cow's 
milk. Great care should be taken that the wet-nurse 
be quite healthy, and especially free from scrofulous 
or consumptive taint. If possible she should be of 
the same or nearly the same age as the mother, and 
her child and that of the mother should be of the 
same age. At nine months, or when the child has 
two or more teeth, it should be weaned. 'Not, how- 
ever, during summer-time, nor unless the child be quite 
well. 

If the baby must be fed from the bottle the difficul- 
ties are many. The milk should be quite fresh, and 
always from the same cow, which should be healthy 
and properly fed. Then if the bottles are left to 
nurses to be cleansed, there is constant danger that 
the work will be negligently or insufficiently done. It 
is absolutely essential that they be scalded and freed 
from all acid contents. The milk should be given 
lukewarm, or near the temperature of mother's milk. 
Dr. Gatchel, in his admirable little book — What Shall 
I Eat f writes : " Half the sickness from which infants 
suffer is produced by improper food and improper 
feeding." Sir C. Clark, an eminent London physician, 
once said : " The ignorance of mothers in feeding chil- 
dren is worth a thousand pounds a year to me." 

Cow's milk differs from human milk in that it con- 
tains more casein e, more butter, and more saline mat- 
ter, but less water and less sugar. This difference 
must be rectified by adding to cow's milk the neces- 
sary water and sugar. For the first month give equal 
parts of milk and water ; say, of cow's milk one half- 
pint, of pure water (distilled or boiled) one half-pint, 
with powdered sugar of milk a teaspoonful or one 
lump of loaf-sugar. If the child's stomach should be 

62 



DIET FOR INFANTS 

a little acid, a teaspoonful of lime-water can be added 
to this quantity. 

After the infant is a month old use two parts of milk, 
or, in some cases, cream, to one part of water with 
sugar as above stated. The milk should be obtained 
fresh twice a day. Two pans should be kept exclu- 
sively for the baby's use, and, before the milk is added, 
the pans, used alternately, should have been thorough- 
ly cleansed, scalded, and dried. In summer, the milk, 
if in danger of becoming sour, may be scalded when 
first put into the pan, but it must not be boiled. If 
cream is used, the fresh, separated cream is the best. 
Glass jars are still better than tin pans for keeping 
milk. Always use a fresh, clean bottle every time 
milk is given to the baby. Several bottles should be 
provided, also the black thimble rubber nipples ; the 
white are said to contain injurious ingredients. JS"ever 
use the long rubber tube for the nursing-bottle, as it 
is almost impossible to keep it clean and free from 
acid. 

Dr. Gatchel says : " As soon as the child has taken 
enough for one feeding, empty from the bottle what 
remains, and, without delay, scald and wash the bottle 
with hot water and soap. After scalding, put the 
bottle into a basin of clean, cold water in which a 
little soda has been dissolved. Let it remain in the 
soda bath for half an hour, then rinse it in clean water 
and let it dry by hanging inverted on a peg." A wire 
basket would be better and more convenient than the 
peg. 

While the baby is under a month old, the usual 
quantity for a meal should be the ordinary feeding- 
bottle half full ; afterwards the bottle nearlv full. 

In its chemical properties, goat's milk approaches 
nearer than any other kind to human milk. Yery 

63 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

little water should be added to it — about four per 
cent., to make it suitable for infants. 

Probably the most nearly perfect artificial substi- 
tute for human milk is Liebig's food for infants, pre- 
pared according to strict chemical principles. It is 
composed of malt flour, wheat flour, cow's milk, bi- 
carbonate of potash, and water in such proportions as 
to imitate woman's milk as nearly as possible. 

Liebig's Receipt 

Take half an ounce of wheat flour, half an ounce of 
malt flour, and seven and a quarter grains of crystal- 
lized bicarbonate of potash, and, after mixing them 
well, add one ounce of water, then five ounces of cow's 
milk. Warm the mixture, continually stirring, over a 
very slow fire, until it becomes thick. Then remove 
the vessel from the fire, stir again for five minutes, 
put it back on the fire, and let it boil well. 

It is necessary that the food should form a thin and 
sweet liquid previous to its final boiling. Before us- 
ing, it should be strained through a fine hair sieve. 

Pavy says, in regard to this receipt : "To avoid the 
trouble of weighing, as much wheat flour as will lie on 
a table-spoon is an ounce, and a moderate table-spoon- 
ful of malt flour corresponds with half an ounce." 

Malt made from barley should be used, and a com- 
mon coffee - mill answers the purpose of grinding it 
into flour, which is to be cleaned from the husk by 
a coarse sieve. The bicarbonate of potash is added to 
neutralize the acid reaction of the two kinds of flour, 
and also to raise the amount of alkali in the food to 
the equivalent of the proportion of that in woman's 
milk. 

The ferment in the malt, during its exposure to 
heat, converts the starch of both the flours into clex- 

64 



DIET FOR INFANTS 

trine and sugar, the latter of which gives the sweet 
taste that is required. The newly found products be- 
ing soluble will account for the mixture being thin, 
and the point contended for by Liebig is, that the 
food in this state taxes the digestive and assimilative 
powers of the infant much less than starch. 

Pap or Thickened Milk 

Ingredients : One pint of milk, two even table- 
spoonfuls of flour, and a teaspoonful of sugar. The 
sugar is often omitted. 

Place the milk in a double boiler ; when hot, stir in 
the flour, wet with two table-spoonfuls of cold milk ; 
let the water in the outer vessel boil fast for an hour. 
Or the pap may be cooked directly over the fire, 
when ten minutes' simmering will be sufficient to cook 
the flour. Proper care should be taken to prevent 
scorching. This is pap proper ; but for a change, 
after the pap is cooked and while still hot, the white 
of an egg beaten to a stiff froth may be stirred in 
smoothly, without further cooking. 

It is very desirable to use the new-process flour (in 
which the full amount of gluten is retained), or cold- 
blast flour prepared by the Health-food Company. 

Crackers for Baby (over six months old) 

Crackers may be fed to babies over six months old. 
Either Boston or soda crackers, health-food lactic wa- 
fers, or cold-blast biscuits, or crackers made at home 
(see p. 160), of new-process flour, may be used. 

Pour over the cracker on a plate enough boiling 
water to cover it. Cover this with a saucer and let it 
remain in the oven for twenty minutes, or until it is 
quite soft and swollen. Then pour over it some hot 
milk or thin cream. 

e 65 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Beead Jelly, or Panada, 

is admirable for babies ten or twelve months old. 
(See p. 128). 

Gruel for Babies 

Any of the gruels are good for the baby. The bar- 
ley gruel is excellent. If troubled with constipation 
a corn-meal gruel is generally better than medicine. 
If with summer complaint, the flour gruel or pap is 
advisable. 

Oatmeal Gruel (Dr. Rice, of Colorado) 

Oatmeal is a very hearty food, too much so to be 
commended as a common diet for infants. For a 
change, however, it is often advisable. 

Add one teacupful of oatmeal to two quarts of boil- 
ing water very slightly salted ; let this cook for two 
hours and a half, then strain it through a sieve. 
"When cold, add to one gill of the gruel one gill of thin 
cream and one teaspoonf ul of sugar. To this quantity 
add one pint of boiling water, and it is ready for use. 

Beef Juice (Dr. Rice) 
Scrape one half pound of beef, and remove all the 
shreds ; add one half pint of water, and three drops 
of muriatic acid. Let it stand one hour ; then strain 
it through a sieve, and add a very little salt. 

Mellin's Food for Infants - 

Mellin's food for infants, an English preparation, 
which is said to be merely the Liebig receipt carried 
out perfectly, can be safely recommended. 

The subject of Diet for Infants is so extended, and 
so many admirable books have been written on it, that 
it has been only briefly considered in this work. 

66 



DIET IN DIFFERENT DISEASES 
DYSPEPSIA 

Many conditions are requisite to insure good diges- 
tion — viz. : Wholesome food ; food taken at proper 
intervals, so that it may be digested, and the stomach 
allowed some repose before another repast ; sufficient 
sleep ; a mind free from nervous irritation, yet inter- 
ested in objects outside of itself; abstinence from 
stimulating beverages, condiments, and spices, and — 
as important as the selection of food itself — physical 
exercise. 

Dyspepsia may be due to imperfect mastication, 
whereby the food is not sufficiently broken up by the 
teeth and thus submitted to the action of the saliva ; 
to inflammation of the coats of the stomach, which 
diminishes the secretion of gastric juice and increases 
the mucus ; to excessive secretion of gastric juice, 
causing acidity of the stomach and consequent fer- 
mentation ; to insufficient muscular action of the walls 
of the stomach ; and to certain nervous conditions 
which interfere with all secretory and assimilative ac- 
tion. There is probably no other disease w T hich can 
be so frequently benefited and even cured by proper 
diet, fresh air, and the use of common-sense. 

The first need of the stomach in dyspepsia is rest. 
The patient should never be forced to eat. It is ob- 
served by Dr. Baruch that — " We have no reason to 

67 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

believe that the absorption (assimilation) capacity of 
the digestive tract is in good condition when the 
digestion capacity is impaired. It is more probable 
that both functions are alike crippled. What advan- 
tage is there, then, in relieving one of its work and de- 
pending upon the possible integrity of the other ? . . . 
There is too much feeding done during illness." 

The period required for digestion should be care- 
fully observed, as it varies with the individual, and 
only such food should be administered (in moderate 
quantity and at regular intervals) as is necessary to 
sustain the strength of the patient, and as nature 
craves; and as little medicine as possible should be 
given. All stimulants and highly seasoned food should, 
as above indicated, be avoided. The bowels must be 
carefully regulated by food, and — rarely — by medi- 
cine. Different foods must be carefully tested, for 
what agrees with one may not agree with another. 
A milk diet with farinaceous foods — oatmeal porridge, 
cracked wheat, cornbread, etc. — acts like a charm with 
some, while a few persons cannot digest milk. Kumiss 
and peptonized milk may generally be relied on when 
simple milk is unsatisfactory. Raw-meat sandwiches 
and minced beefsteak (p. 187) are often beneficial ; 
meat should never be taken at the same time with 
milk. Baked potatoes, mashed, with cream, poached 
eggs, uncooked eggs (p. 181), baked apples, and 
stewed fruits generally, are wholesome. A valuable 
article of diet for dyspeptics is Graham bread made 
of wheat partly or wholly denuded of its fibrous cov- 
ering. 

Let nothing be over-seasoned. Too much salt pro- 
duces more or less inflammation and fever, and some 
hygienists banish it altogether, with spices and con- 
diments. They argue that food contains already 

68 



DIET IN DIFFERENT DISEASES 

enough salt. Mattieu Williams, however, says : " Salt 
is not a condiment, but a food, simply because it sup- 
plies the blood with one of its normal and necessary 
constituents, chloride of sodium, without which we 
cannot live. A certain amount of it exists in most 
of our ordinary food, but not always sufficient." 

Salt or smoked meats, sausages, viands recooked, 
pickles, canned tomatoes, and fried dishes generally 
should be eschewed. The dietary suitable for a healthy 
child is generally suitable for an adult whose digestion 
is enfeebled. 

Any dyspeptic may better undereat than overeat. 
A weak stomach must not be overtasked. Some phy- 
sicians say that occasional abstinence from food for a 
day or more, to give the organ a rest, is beneficial. 
If possible the dyspeptic should make up his mind to 
stop eating while his appetite remains not wholly sat- 
isfied. 

It must be borne in mind, however, that while ab- 
stinence from food may be resorted to in special cases, 
dyspepsia can be brought on by fasting or by insuffi- 
cient diet. The digestive functions become weak from 
mere inertia. The tone of the stomach, like the tone 
of the muscles, may be lost by want of exercise. 

Undoubtedly, as a rule, we eat too much. A healthy 
appetite is not to be ignored, but some families erro- 
neously consider that good living and hospitality re- 
quire an excessive variet}^ of dishes and of courses at 
meals. 

Many physicians believe that the constant use of 
baking-powder in bread, cake, etc., is one cause of the 
prevalence of dyspepsia in the United States. 

Walking, bicycling, gardening, golfing — any occu- 
pation which must be carried on in the open air — is 
invaluable in d} r spepsia. 

69 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

When patients are unable to take out-of-door exer- 
cise, the Swedish movement, massage, or gymnastics 
may be used with benefit. 

"Frivolous conversation" at meals is especially 
recommended by Dr. King Chambers ; and Mrs. 
Ernest Hart adds : " Perhaps our forefathers had bet- 
ter judgment than ourselves when they enjoyed the 
jokes of the jester after a banquet, instead of listen- 
ing to the solemn perorations of the speech-makers." 



DIARRHEA, DYSENTERY, AND CHOLERA 

Diarrhea 

Diarrhea results from some irritating constituent 
in the food, or from an effort of nature to throw off 
either an excessive quantity or a poor quality of food 
which cannot be digested. The digestive powers in 
such cases are overtaxed and weakened, and the best 
remedy in the first stage of an acute attack is total 
abstinence from food for at least a day. The stomach 
needs rest, and the patient will not suffer from this 
fasting, but will often recover by simply retaining a 
recumbent position and taking nothing but a little 
cool water, or rice-water, in small quantities at a time. 
For the following two or three days rice gruel will be 
sufficient in the way of food. If milk agrees with the 
patient, it can be taken mixed with lime-water (a 
table-spoonful of lime-water to a gobletful [half a 
pint] of milk), at first at intervals of one or two 
hours. After a time, as strength is developed, the 
quantity may be increased to a small glassful every 
three or four hours. Milk is generally an excellent 
diet in this trouble, and, when it can be taken, nothing 
else is required. Kumiss (new or freshly made) is also 

70 



DIET IN DIFFERENT DISEASES 

highly recommended for diarrhea. Thickened milk 
or flour gruel is often given. For those who cannot 
take milk, the alternatives are barley-water, thin oat- 
meal gruel (strained), oyster broth, and clam broth. 

Dr. Fothergill declares positively that — " One broad 
rule may be laid down, and it is this — ' So long as 
animal broths are permitted, so long will diarrhea be 
intractable.' Again and again has this been driven 
like a spike into my memory." 

The patient should be extremely careful during con- 
valescence to take only the most digestible foods — 
for instance, toast dipped in milk, rice pudding, tea 
and toast sippets (soaked in tea), the preparations 
from the health-foods, etc. 

Dysentery 

This disease involves inflammation and ulceration 
of the intestines. Consequently the patient should be 
kept in as tranquil a state as practicable. The food 
should be such as to exert the least stimulating or irri- 
tating action on the mucous membranes. An exclu- 
sive diet of milk (given as described in the preceding 
article) is of as great value in dysentery as in diar- 
rhea. Toast-water, rice-water, and rice gruel are also 
especially recommended, as well as barley and flour 
gruel. 

Raw eggs (p. 181), or eggs lightly poached, or eggs 
beaten with milk and sweetened, as described for milk- 
punch (without the liquor), are useful in dysentery. 
The pulp of raw meat is sometimes used in cases of 
diarrhea and dysentery, though the writer does not 
approve of this treatment. In preparing the pulp, 
the fat is all removed and the fresh beef is either 
scraped and divested of all fibre, or it may be cut into 
a pulp with a mincing-machine. This fine pulp may 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

be lightly seasoned with salt and red pepper and 
placed between two thin slices of stale bread, form- 
ing a sandwich ; or it may be made into a thick cake 
and the outside merely colored by placing it in a hot 
saucepan; but the inside must not be cooked. 

Dr. Hall gives a table-spoonful of scraped raw beef 
every four hours. 

Cold drinks tend to aggravate the pain and colic 
which accompany this disease. A band of flannel 
around the body diminishes the danger of taking cold 
in all diseases of the stomach and intestines. 

Cholera 

During the prevalence of cholera great care must be 
taken to keep the digestion in good order. No ice- 
water, stale or unripe vegetables, pickles, or any indi- 
gestible food should be taken. As the treatment of 
this disease is medical rather than dietetic, it is only 
briefly referred to by the present writer. 

Dr. Gatchell, however, prescribes as follows : " Dur- 
ing the attack no food whatever is required. The inces- 
sant thirst from which the patient suffers it is hard to 
gratify, for water taken into the stomach aggravates 
the vomiting; and yet the patient should receive all 
the water that he craves, if he can retain it. If this 
is impossible, much benefit may be derived from 
holding small pieces of ice in the mouth until they 
melt away. Injections of warm milk may be used 
with advantage, if nothing can be taken by the 
stomach. 

" After the attack no solid food should be taken 
until the stools are consistent and fecal. Great care 
must be observed during convalescence. An attack 
of indigestion at this time is often followed by a fatal 
relapse. At first only farinaceous food should be 

72 



DIET IN DIFFERENT DISEASES 

given, and this in small quantities, frequently re- 
peated. 

" Rice thoroughly cooked, thickened milk, and the 
like may first be taken. Milk, however, is to be pre- 
ferred to this, and, if the patient can take it, nothing 
else need be sought for." 



FEVERS 

Modern science ascribes fever to a microbe which 
multiplies in the blood, and which feeds on and con- 
sumes the different tissues of the body. In fever the 
consumption of albumen is especially great, and the 
excretion of urea and of the potash salts in the system 
is abnormally large. It is the object of medicine to 
arrest and of dietetics to supply this waste, and to 
keep up, meanwhile, the strength and vitality of the 
patient. 

Dr. Beaumont's observations in the case of Alexis 
St. Martin (a young man whose stomach was perma- 
nently exposed by a gunshot wound) show that little 
gastric juice is secreted during fever. The duodenal 
digestion is less affected. 

The rise of temperature, w T hich is the most obvious 
symptom of fever, brings with it a longing for cool 
air, for cold water, and for acid drinks, while the di- 
minished gastric secretion prevents the patient from 
craving or digesting solid food. All the pure cold 
water that is desired may be given ; also barley and 
toast-water, lemonade, orangeade, tamarind and cur- 
rant jelly water ; and other fruit drinks, as they sup- 
ply the salts which are wasted during fever. 

Milk fresh from the cow is recommended by the 
authorities as nourishment in all fevers, except t} r phoid. 
Buttermilk may be taken when relished. Kumiss is 

73 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

especially beneficial, as it contains a mild stimulant 
in addition to its nourishing properties. It is some- 
times digested when milk (which forms a curd in the 
stomach) is not tolerated. The addition of a table- 
spoonful of lime-water to a cup of milk will often en- 
able the patient to retain it. 

Cooling drinks and liquid food should be given 
frequently, at regular intervals, in small quantities. 
When the patient is alarmingly weak, and if stimu- 
lants are permitted, minute quantities of alcoholic 
liquor should be administered if prescribed by the 
physician. The white of an egg beaten up with lemon 
juice is often given, as it quenches thirst and helps to 
supply the wasted albumen. 

When the patient has an actual aversion to food, 
as little as possible should be administered. Dr. Os- 
wald sa}^s : " When coolness, sweetness, and fruity 
flavors cannot make a dish acceptable to the appe- 
tite, its obtrusion would do more harm than good, and 
it is a great mistake to suppose that even total absti- 
nence could, in such cases, aggravate the danger of 
the disease." 

If the invalid's mouth is furred, it may be washed 
out before food is given with water containing a 
little lime or lemon juice. 

In convalescence, barley and oatmeal gruels, bread- 
jelly, raw eggs, and beef juice may be administered 
until the patient is able to digest more substantial 
diet. But great care should be exercised in this re- 
spect, for, if taken too early, solid food will almost 
surely cause a relapse. 

Malarial Fevers 

The malarial parasite was discovered by Laveran in 
1880 ; yet, three hundred years before the Christian 

74 



DIET IN DIFFERENT DISEASES 

era, as Dr. Thayer has noticed, the Latin poet Lucre- 
tius suggested that " malaria was due to living organ- 
isms in the blood. ' ? 

In order to understand how this parasite acts, it is 
necessary to state that the blood is not a mere colored 
fluid. It consists of innumerable red cells or corpus- 
cles, and of white particles called leucocytes, which 
are termed by physicians " the scavengers of the 
blood." 

The malarial parasite attacks the centre of the red 
corpuscle, destroys it, and bursts it, and this bursting 
constitutes the crisis or fever of malaria. The leuco- 
cytes, meanwhile, attack the malarial parasite, and, 
when the blood is sufficiently rich in red corpuscles, 
destroy this parasite or protozoa in its turn. 

There are three familiar forms of malarial fever — 
tertian, quartan, and aestivo-malarial fever, and three 
distinct groups of malarial parasites have been ob- 
served in these fevers. The question is still unan- 
swered whether these groups are distinct types or 
the same type in different stages of development. 
The paroxysms in the first two forms of disease are 
more regular but less severe than those in aestivo- 
malarial fever. 

It is still undecided how the malarial poison is 
spread ; whether, being a germ in the soil, it is con- 
veyed through air or through water, or in both ways. 
At any rate, it requires moisture, oxygen, and heat 
for its development. It is most severe in the tropics, 
but it finds its way in a modified form as far north as 
Siberia and Alaska. It flourishes in the low lands, 
yet it prevails at an elevation of 6400 feet in the 
Pyrenees and of 10,000 feet in Peru. It is worst 
where there is decaying vegetation, and in marshes 
liable to overflow. Cultivation and drainage are its 

75 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

successful foes. Negroes are less susceptible to it 
than whites. 

Typhoid and malarial fevers rarely coexist. When 
typhoid symptoms appear the malarial conditions are 
for the time suspended. Typhoid develops in the 
small intestine, while the malarial parasite attacks 
through the blood, first the spleen and the marrow 
of the bones, then the digestive tract, the respiratory 
organs, and the brain. In the malarial fever imported 
by qur soldiers from Cuba, the periodicity which has 
been regarded as a sure sign of this disease since the 
days of Hippocrates, is absent. The chill, the rise of 
pulse and temperature, and the succeeding perspira- 
tion do not always recur in regular order, and one or 
more of these S3 7 mptoms may not be present at all. 
But there is invariably lassitude — an exhaustion ap- 
proaching collapse. On account of this listlessness 
and of the low temperature and moderate pulse, the 
physician, in hospital practice, sometimes does not 
recognize the condition of the patient until he is 
practically pulseless. Great depression and appre- 
hension of impending evil are almost invariable 
symptoms. 

Another type of fever, only too common among 
our soldiers since the late war, does not exhibit the 
periodicity of malaria, and appears to be the direct 
result of exposure and starvation. A w T eak heart, 
sudden and irregular rise of temperature, collapse 
almost as profound as in cholera, extreme emaciation, 
and profuse sweating are its principal symptoms. 
Hippocrates observed in fevers that sweats come 
sometimes from "malign influences" — as in pernicious 
malaria and typhoid — and sometimes from prostra- 
tion, as in the fever just described. He remarked 
also that " bodies which have been slowly emaciated 

76 



DIET IN DIFFERENT DISEASES 

should be slowly recruited" — a truth which should 
never be lost sight of in this type of illness. 

Quinine, which is a specific in ordinary malarial 
fever, can only be given with great caution and in 
limited quantities in the fever induced by starvation. 
In both forms of disease the action of the liver should 
be stimulated before the quinine, which is most effica- 
cious as a liquid, is used. The convalescence in reg- 
ular malarial fever is generally rapid ; that from the 
fever just described is a question of time and strength. 
In both fevers the patient is benefited by rest in bed, 
freedom from exposure to night air and dampness, 
change of surroundings, plenty of sleep in a sunny 
room high above the ground, and, in southern cli- 
mates, by sleeping invariably under mosquito netting ; 
for mosquitoes are believed to disseminate malaria. 
Dr. Koch says : " Wherever mosquitoes exist, malaria 
will prevail." 

The writer has entered thus fully into the nature 
of these fevers because it is necessary carefully to ob- 
serve their characteristics and differences in order to 
administer proper food. In ordinary malarial fever, 
not involving any affection of the digestive tract, a 
strengthening, rather stimulating regimen, including 
solid food, is rarely injurious ; provided, of course, 
that no nourishment be taken during the chill and 
fever. Anaemia almost invariably accompanies mala- 
rial fever, and it is of the first importance to build up 
the red corpuscles of the blood. Beef -tea may be 
given as a stimulant, and chicken, beef-steak, or a 
mutton chop, with fresh vegetables, or any other food 
not making severe demands on the digestion, may be 
eaten. As a general rule the patient should be " fed 
up." 

In the fever induced bv starvation, on the other 

77 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

hand, no solid food should be given until the system 
of the patient is prepared for it. After the paroxysm 
of fever, kumiss or malted milk, or, when tolerated, 
plain milk and cream in small quantities, should be 
administered at brief intervals, alternating, when pre- 
scribed by the doctor, with minute doses of stimulant 
given, if possible, in some form of liquid nourishment. 
]No beef -tea should be used, nor any form of meat 
broth, for the first few days ; then partially pepton- 
ized foods — peptonized meat jellies, etc. — may be 
given, but these should be discontinued at the first 
symptom of diarrhea, and the kumiss or milk -diet 
resumed, the period of restricted diet varying with 
the constitution of the patient. Generally, within 
two weeks, his digestion of a tender breast of chicken 
or a sweetbread indicates his convalescence. 

Typhoid Fever 

Typhoid fever is due to an ascertained bacillus, and 
probably also to other organisms acting on the system 
in the weakened condition which this bacillus induces. 
Nearly fifty per cent, of the persons whom it attacks 
are between twenty and thirty years of age — a fact 
which accounts for its ravages in the present year 
(1898) among our volunteer troops, nearly all of whom 
are young men. 

The typhoid bacillus originates in the soil, but is 
disseminated in water and in milk. It is destroyed by 
heat ; hence the importance, when its presence is sus- 
pected, of boiling the water used and pasteurizing the 
milk. It attacks the mesenteric* glands and the 
Peyer's patches and solitary glands in the small intes- 



* The mesentery is the membrane to which the intestines are 
attached. 

78 






DIET IN DIFFERENT DISEASES 

tine, where it multiplies and produces inflammation. 
The glands ulcerate and slough off, as may be seen in 
the cuts here given, which are reproduced from Mrs. 
Ernest Hart's Diet in Sickness and in Health. 




DIAGRAMMATIC REPRESEN- 
TATION OP peyer's PATCHKS 
IN TYPHOID FEVER 

a. Early stage with swelling 
of the patch ; b. Later stage 
with sloughing; c. Ulcer with 
infiltrated walls (from Thier- 
felden). 




f.tACKt R8AUEP. 0. 

A peyer's patch seen FROM ITS 

FREE OR SUPERFICIAL SIDE 

1, 1, 1. A folded Peyer's Patch. 2, 2. 
The folds which form the superficial or 
mucous layer of this patch. 3, 3. The 
grooves which separate the folds. 4, 4. 
Pits observed from place to place in 
these folds. 5, 5, 5. Valvulse conni- 
ventes. 6, 6. Solitary closed follicles 
situated in the space between the valvu- 
lse. 7, 7, 7. Other follicles similar to 
the preceding, but smaller. 8, 8. Closed 
follicles situated on the summit of the 
valvulse conniventes. 



The danger in typhoid fever is from the hemorrhage 
which may be caused by this sloughing off, from the 
extension of the inflammation to the peritoneum (or 
membrane lining the abdomen and investing its vis- 

79 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

cera), and from the perforation of the intestine by 
the ulcers. 

The present treatment of typhoid fever consists — 
first, in the disinfection by germicides of the intestinal 
canal; second, in constant bathing to stimulate the ac- 
tion of the skin and thus to eliminate the poison (the 
body is sometimes rubbed with oil for the same pur- 
pose) ; third, in perfect rest, whereby the risk of per- 
foration of the bowel is diminished and the vital ener- 
gy of the patient sustained ; fourth, in keeping up the 
strength by nourishment, so as not only to repair the 
waste induced by the fever, but to enable nature to 
heal the wounded surface of the intestine. 

The treatment consists largely, therefore, in good 
nursing and careful diet. There is exceedingly rapid 
waste in typhoid fever, and it is essential that nutri- 
tious liquid food be frequently and regularly adminis- 
tered. If the patient becomes unable to swallow, nu- 
trient enemata must be resorted to. The evacuations 
must be carefully examined to ascertain if there are 
indigestible substances in the food taken, since, on 
account of the possibility of perforation of the intes- 
tine, it is absolutely necessarj^ that all irritating sub- 
stances be excluded from the diet of a typhoid patient. 
While milk is in its constituents the most complete 
food, there is always danger in fever of its entering 
the bowel as a solid curd and producing irritation. 
When diluted and mixed with lime-water this dif- 
ficulty is often obviated, but it may be avoided by 
using, instead, malted milk, or kumiss. White of egg^ 
beaten up with lemon juice, may also be administered. 
Whey, carefully strained, may be used freely, to allay 
thirst and to promote the action of the kidneys. 

Beef-tea and chicken broth may be given when they 
do not induce the digestive inflammation caused by 

80 



DIET IN DIFFERENT DISEASES 

too much meat. It is very important to include also 
vegetable salts and acids, and Mrs. Ernest Hart sug- 
gests that this may be done by enclosing vegetables 
in a muslin bag, to be boiled in the broth and removed 
before serving. If fever persists or diarrhea reappears, 
the use of animal food should be stopped immediately. 
As soon as the intestine is thoroughly asepticized the 
diarrhea will cease. 

The experience of Sir William Jenner in the treat- 
ment of typhoid fevers has been so extensive that his 
remarks on "Diet in Typhoid Fever" have been added 
in the Appendix (p. 274). 

The convalescence from typhoid fever demands con- 
stant and intelligent vigilance, especially as to diet. 
Gradually some digestible thickening (the Health-food 
preparations are the best) may be added to the broth 
or gruel administered ; then jellies may be given ; raw 
oysters, raw eggs, poached eggs, and the white meat 
of chicken roasted and scraped or pounded may be 
added in succession in small quantities to the invalid's 
bill of fare. Finally, ten or twelve days after the 
fever has abated, toast, beef, and mutton may be eaten. 
Only a stony-hearted nurse should be employed — one 
who can resist the piteous pleadings and even the tears 
of the hungry convalescent. 

It should be remembered that many months, even a 
year, may elapse before the health is actually re-estab- 
lished after typhoid fever. 



GOUT AND RHEUMATISM 

A tendency to deposit urate of soda in the fibrous 
tissue around the joints is a characteristic symptom of 
gout. But gout is now believed by the best authori- 
ties to show itself not only in the sore toe and enlarged 
F 81 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

joints, which were formerly regarded as its invariable 
symptoms, but in various morbid conditions of the 
system, and in certain forms of headache, neuralgia, 
rheumatism, disease of the heart, the kidneys, the 
skin, etc. It is generally supposed to originate in the 
liver, though all the organs of nutrition are involved. 

When the liver is unable to transform the prod- 
ucts of nitrogenous food into soluble urea, uric acid 
is formed. This is taken up by the blood, and is 
an active poison, showing itself, as above indicated, in 
various ways. Finally it passes to the kidneys, which 
are unable to perform the excessive work imposed on 
them, and they deteriorate — as in Bright's disease. 

It is easier, of course, to prevent a disease than to 
cure it ; and when any of the symptoms of gout mani- 
fest themselves it is far better to starve out the disease 
than to await its development. 

Dr. Osier says : " Gout is evidence of an overfed, 
overworked, and consequently clogged, machine." 
Knowing this, the patient should abstain as far as 
possible from taxing the organs of nutrition, especially 
with nitrogenous food. As a rule, the diet should be 
as simple as possible. JSTo beef, and little mutton or 
pork, should be eaten, and fat should be used in 
moderation. Poultry and game are less objection- 
able, and the strength of the patient should be sus- 
tained by these. Fish, while less nourishing, is gen- 
erally allowable as a change. Cheese is of doubtful 
value. The lentil family — pease, beans, etc. — are ad- 
mirable in chronic gout, but they are not always easy 
of digestion and create flatulence. Vegetables — as 
rhubarb, sorrel, etc. — containing oxalic acid, which is 
nearly allied to uric acid, do not agree with gouty 
people, and they should not eat eggs, containing as 
they do a large proportion of albumen. In dishes 

82 



DIET IN DIFFERENT DISEASES 

made for the gouty, where eggs are indispensable, 
only the yolks should be used. Food containing 
much gelatin is also to be avoided. Fruits — espe- 
cially lemons, oranges, limes, and shaddocks— are gen- 
erally recommended, though some sufferers from gout 
cannot take fruit acids ; salads should be eaten freely. 

Physicians differ as to the use of milk, with other 
food, in gout, though a diet of milk alone is often 
beneficial. There is a controversy also as to the use 
of sugar, which doctors generally forbid ; and there are 
cases on record in which the use of sugar and starch 
in excess in the food has induced gout. For some 
unknown cause sugar often aggravates the disease. 

There is, however, a form called " poor man's gout," 
caused not by excess but by imperfect assimilation 
of food, and before restricting the diet too much it 
is well to try to get rid of the cause by assisting 
the liver to perform its work. This can be done, 
often without the aid of drugs, by exercise, especial- 
ly in the open air. It may be regarded as an axiom 
that open-air exercise, which expels the poison by 
increased action of the skin, and which aids every 
organ in destroying old and producing new tissue, 
is a specific in incipient gout. When the disease has 
become chronic, its manifestations may be dimin- 
ished in frequency and severity by regular exercise. 
If the patient is unable to take this, massage .and 
other forms of passive exercise, and judicious bathing, 
whereby the poison is excreted through the skin, are 
recommended. But eternal vigilance is the price of 
health for the gouty. As Dr. Fothergill says : " There 
is no nice way of having the gout, and, what is worse, 
there is no pleasant way of avoiding it." 

There are so many forms of rheumatism, requiring 
different methods of treatment, that it is not consid- 

83 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

ered desirable to recommend any one system of diet 
in this disease. As a rule, however, sugar should be 
rigorously excluded from the food of a patient suffer- 
ing from rheumatism. 



BRIGHT'S DISEASE 

Pavy observes on this subject as follows : " Phys- 
iology teaches us that the kidneys perform an elimi- 
native office. The water which they remove in regu- 
lating the amount of fluid in the system is made the 
vehicle for carrying off solid matter, consisting of use- 
less products of the metamorphosis of the food, and 
effete materials, resulting from the disintegration of 
the tissues, which poison and produce death if allowed 
to accumulate in the blood. In Bright's disease their 
eli mi native capacity is interfered with. 

" The amount of urinary matter to be discharged is 
largely dependent upon the nature of the food. The 
fats and carbohydrates throw no work upon the kid- 
neys. The products of their utilization — carbonic acid 
and water — pass off through another channel. 

" The nitrogenous ingesta, on the other hand, in 
great part undergo metamorphosis, and yield their 
nitrogen to be carried off in combination with a por- 
tion of their other elements, under the form of urinary 
products. In this way the kidneys become taxed by 
the food. So a vegetable diet should preponderate. 

" In Bright's disease the kidney is contracted, and 
frequently the escape of albumen is insignificant, and 
sometimes even there is none. The mere loss of albu- 
men is not so much to be dreaded as uremia." 

A vegetable diet is also recommended by most of 
the authorities (Chambers being an exception)^ on the 
supposition that meat throws extra work upon the 

84 



DIET IN DIFFERENT DISEASES 

kidneys. In the use of the grain foods such prepara- 
tions only should be selected as contain the full nutri- 
ment of the grain (see p. 58, 256). 

A diet wholly or partially of milk is recommended. 
Niemeyer says : "Ina series of cases which have been 
described by Dr. Schmidt in his inaugural thesis, I have 
obtained most brilliant results, where all other treat- 
ment has failed, by putting the patients on an almost 
exclusive diet of milk." 

The ordinary mixed diet should be gradually 
changed in favor of the milk diet, until one exclusively 
of milk is finally reached. This should be kept up for 
a month or more, or until there is a decided improve- 
ment in the patient's condition. 

The patient should drink freely of pure soft water, 
as that carries off many of the impurities of the blood. 
Flax-seed tea is at times beneficial. Alcoholic and malt 
liquors are almost invariably prohibited. They gener- 
ally act as a poison in kidne} 7 affections, and their ex- 
cessive use is doubtless the provoking cause of a ma- 
jority of such diseases. 

DIABETES 

The formation of sugar in the urine is characteristic 
of the disease known as diabetes. Its cure is almost 
entirely dietetic, and consists mainly in the patient and 
persistent taking of foods which contain neither sugar 
nor starch : the latter is converted by natural proc- 
esses into sugar in the system. Fat and albuminoids 
are given in their place. Dr. Dobell recommends 
very highly the pancreatic emulsion of fat for diabet- 
ics. 

The following is a partial list of dishes which are 
allowed and prohibited in diabetes : 

85 






DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Oysters and Clams 

Raw or' cooked without flour mixtures are al- 
lowed. Oysters may be rolled in egg and gluten for 
frying. 

Soups 

All kinds without flour, rice, or other starchy sub- 
stances, and without the prohibited vegetables, may 
be used. 

Fish 

All kinds are allowed, including lobsters, crabs, sar- 
dines in oil, etc. 

Meats 

Of all kinds, poultry, game, etc., may be eaten. 
Livers, on theoretical grounds, are prohibited. 

Vegetables Allowed 

Cauliflower, spinach, cabbage, string beans, cucum- 
bers, lettuce, greens, mushrooms, young onions, and 
olives. Celery, asparagus, and tomatoes are questiona- 
ble. Sour apples cut in quarters, dipped in egg and 
rolled in gluten, and fried in hot fat, make a good 
substitute for potatoes, and may be used moderately. 

Vegetables Prohibited 

Potatoes, beets, turnips, peas, beans, carrots, pars- 
nips, rice, sago, tapioca, and others containing sugar 
or starch. 

Milk, Cheese, and Eggs 

Milk, in some cases ; eggs, cream, butter, and butter- 
milk may be taken freely. Puddings and custards 
should be sweetened with saccharin. 

86 



DIET IN DIFFERENT DISEASES 

Fruits Allowed 

All kinds of tart fruits, with cream, but without 
sugar. 

Fruits Prohibited 

All the sweet fruits — as apples, pears, plums, grapes, 
bananas, pineapples, raspberries, blackberries, straw- 
berries, and peaches. 

Breads and Pastry 

Only those are permissible which are made from 
wheat-gluten flour, bran, or almond meal. The ordi- 
nary flour or grains (oatmeal, corn-meal, hominy, etc.) 
must not be used in any form. 

Beverages 

Kumiss, coffee with cream and saccharin, and cereal 
coffee may be used. Tea is objectionable. Claret, 
Phine, and other acid wine, dry champagne, and 
brandy may be taken in great moderation ; but it is 
better to dispense with all wines, sweet or sour, and 
all liquors, malt or distilled. Pure water may be 
drunk as freely as desired. 

Plenty of exercise in the open air, tepid baths, rub- 
bing, and abundant sleep are desirable. 

CONSUMPTION 

The principal object in treating consumption should 
be to build up, the tendency of the disease being to 
reduce, the recuperative power of the patient. It is 
important above all to arrest the formation of tuber- 
cular and diseased matter ; consequently all the nour- 
ishing food which can be digested and assimilated 

87 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

should be taken. Plenty of fresh milk, if possible 
warm from the cow, is desirable ; also buttermilk, 
clabbered milk, and kumiss. 

Fresh meats, such as beef, mutton, and venison, 
roasted or broiled, and cooked rare, may be used when 
there is no tendency to fever. Meats and fresh milk 
must not be taken at the same meal, however. Fowls 
and fresh fish may be safely and profitably eaten. 
Pork, veal, and all foods difficult and slow of diges- 
tion should be avoided. All salted meats should be 
eschewed. Potatoes, carrots, and fresh vegetables 
generally are wholesome, and even necessary, when 
much meat is taken. Raw and slightly cooked eggs 
are full of nutrition and very assimilable. Nut prep- 
arations have been recommended for consumptives on 
account of the amount of oil which they contain and 
of their heat -producing qualities; but they should 
only be used by patients whose digestion is strong, 
and, as a rule, by those who take a great deal of 
exercise in the open air. Care should be taken to 
discontinue at once any article of food that disa- 
grees with the patient, as disordered digestion is 
especially unfortunate in consumption. 

As much fat as can be digested, whether it be in 
the form of cream, butter, fat of meat, or oil, should 
be taken. Cod-liver oil seems to be one of the great 
resources for supplying fat to consumptives, and the 
amount of evidence accumulated in its favor leaves no 
doubt as to its utility. The oil should be quite fresh, 
and should be kept well corked in a cool place. If it 
does not agree with the patient in its crude form, 
there are preparations of it in emulsion, combined 
with pancreatic extract, malt, hypophosphites, etc., 
which are considered beneficial. 

Dr. Gatchell says a dose of a teaspoonful of cod- 



DIET IX DIFFERENT DISEASES 

liver oil is sufficient to begin with, and this quantity 
can be increased until a table-spoonful three times a 
day may be safely and profitably prescribed. It must 
not be taken on an empty stomach, but half an hour 
after a meal. 

The pancreatic emulsion (see pp. 11 and 263), a 
preparation of half-digested beef suet, is well worth 
a trial. 

Alcoholic stimulants should be used only under the 
direction of a physician. The} 7 serve to give tempo- 
rary strength in periods of extreme weakness or to 
alleviate acute pain and suffering. If the effect of 
alcohol is to derange and weaken the digestive pow- 
ers, which are the marin reliance for cure, it should at 
once be discontinued. 

Dr. Chambers says : " As to the use of alcohol in 
threatened cases, and in the early stage of tubercle, I 
have no hesitation in pronouncing an opinion against 
it." 

Nothing aids digestion, and consequently assimi- 
lation and health, as much as fresh air and sunshine, 
combined with all the physical exercise that can be 
borne without fatigue, and a life in the mountains, 
where the air is dry and bracing, is to be chosen if 
possible. Actual work, giving good exercise to the 
arms and chest, is especially desirable, if the patient 
remembers to stop short of fatigue. 

Dr. Chambers observes : " The use of climate in the 
treatment of phthisis (consumption) may be tested by 
its dietetic action ; if it improves the appetite it is 
doing good; if it injures the appetite it is doing harm." 

Scrofula 

The regimen in scrofula should be the same as in 
consumption — a liberal diet, containing plenty of fat 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

in the form of cream, fresh milk, butter, fresh animal 
food, cod-liver oil, etc., and also a full complement of 
fresh air, sunshine, and exercise. The extract of malt 
is generally recommended. 

Rickets 

This disease is the result of imperfect nutrition, and 
should be treated, like consumption, by prescribing a 
generous diet, such as milk, cream, raw beef, and cod- 
liver oil. The extract of malt, which contains phos- 
phates of lime and other salts, is especially valuable 
in the treatment of this disease. 

Diphtheria 

The patient should be well nourished in diphtheria 
— one of the most wasting of all diseases., Give plen- 
ty of fresh new milk, or milk mixed with beaten egg 
(milk-punch without the liquor). 

In the stage of depression some stimulant is re- 
quired. Let it be eggnog, milk -punch, or raw egg 
beaten with a spoonful of whiskey or brandy, oat- 
meal caudle, or kumiss. Black coffee is also admira- 
ble as a stimulant. 

If the patient can no longer swallow, he should be 
nourished by nutrient enemata and by rubbing the 
body, especially the abdomen (under cover, for fear 
of taking cold), several times a day with olive-oil. 

Gastritis 

In the height of the attack, when the stomach is 
much inflamed, no food whatever should be taken. 
Small pieces of ice may be held in the mouth and 
a portion swallowed. Fresh kumiss is excellent. Ice- 
cream flavored with lemon extract (no vanilla) is also 
valuable. If milk agrees with the patient, no other 

90 



DIET IN DIFFERENT DISEASES 

food is required. The gruels come next, but no meat 
should be eaten. Meat is digested in the stomach, 
and starchy food, as already stated, in the duode- 
num. 

If nothing can be retained on the stomach, nutrient 
enemata and rubbing the body with oil must be re- 
sorted to. 

NEURALGIA 

Neuralgia may be regarded as rather a condition 
than a disease, and its cause and cure are arguments 
in favor of the maintenance of the general health by 
wise hygienic rules in diet, bathing, rest, and exer- 
cise; for when these are observed, and the system 
regains its tone, neuralgia vanishes. 

Neuralgia is caused either by a poison in the blood 
or by a microbe. This microbe, if it exists, is probably 
closely allied to the bacillus of malaria, and thrives 
under similar conditions — i.e., in the air and water of 
damp climates, in sewer-gas, etc. It is likewise only 
developed when the system is " below par." As in mal- 
aria, the red corpuscles of the blood are diminished in 
neuralgia, and in both cases (though this is not invari- 
able in neuralgia) the attacks are apt to be periodic. 

Romberg says, " Pain is the prayer of a nerve for 
healthy blood " ; and another authority calls neuralgia 
" nerve starvation." But the nerves cry out not only 
for food, but also for rest. The usual treatment of 
neuralgia by means of a stimulating meat diet is be- 
lieved by the writer to be unwise. Abstinence from 
undue demands on the digestive organs and the liver, 
small but frequent meals of non - nitrogenous food, 
" plenty of porridge and green vegetables, and meat 
once a day," says King Chambers, and some simple 
nourishment (prepared, if the digestion is temporarily 

91 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

weak, with pre-digested food) just before going to bed, 
will often avert the attacks. 

The eminent JNew York physician, Dr. Simeon 
Baruch, observes that " when the patient has no appe- 
tite, food is of little advantage — provided the patient 
is sane and capable of judgment on this point. It 
should be the aim of the physician to restore the 
digestive functions to a normal condition by rest and 
other treatment." 

When this disease exists in the form of facial neural- 
gia accompanied by aversion to food, perfect rest, 
with a mustard plaster at the base of the brain or on 
the pit of the stomach, or hot applications to the feet, 
will generally bring relief. The patient should not 
be forced to eat, but, as soon as the possibility of di- 
gestion returns, peptonized milk, and, in case of great 
weakness, stimulant — preferably in the form of milk- 
punch, or, where milk is not relished, Roman punch — 
should be administered. Great care should be exer- 
cised in regard to the water used by patients suffering 
from malaria and neuralgia, as attacks can frequently 
be traced to the use of impure water. 

COLDS 

There are said to be two ways of curing a cold 
when it has just begun. One, which the writer has 
never tried, is by absolute privation for three days of 
all liquids ; the other by putting the patient in bed, 
giving some antibilious medicine, and following it 
with an alkaline draft, and inducing profuse perspi- 
ration by administering as much liquid food as the 
digestion of the patient permits. The theory is that 
the first method relieves the mucous membrane of all 
strain, and that the second, by the copious evacuations 

92 " 



DIET IN DIFFERENT DISEASES 

of the bowels and the kidneys, and the action of the 
pores of the skin, rids the system of the poison which 
causes the cold. In both cases quinine is generally 
added. 

The old-fashioned adage, that we must feed a cold 
and starve a fever, has later been departed from. 
Yery little solid food should be given in the early 
stages of a cold, though chicken broth, gruel, and 
milk with lime-water, may be frequently adminis- 
tered. When the cold is " broken," the diet should 
be as nourishing as possible, and stimulants, if advised 
by the physician, should be given in moderate doses. 
It is very important that the action of the bowels 
and of the kidneys be carefully watched, and if the 
latter show the presence of too much albumen, the 
supply of nitrogenous food should at once be dimin- 
ished. 

CORPULENCY 

Fat in the body is created out of the fat of food, 
and also from its starch and saccharin elements. 
Consequently, in the treatment of corpulency, it is 
necessary to interdict foods that contain fat, starch, 
or sugar. Sugar, according to the approved author- 
ities, is the most active of fat-forming foods. 

Mr. Banting's rules were as follows : 

" For breakfast, at 9 a.m., I take five or six ounces 
of beef, mutton, kidneys, broiled fish, or cold meat of 
any kind except pork and veal ; a large cup of tea or 
coffee without milk or sugar; a little biscuit, or one 
ounce of dry toast. 

"For dinner, at 2 p.m., five or six ounces of any 
kind of fish except salmon, herring, or eels ; any meat 
except pork or veal ; any vegetables except potato, 

93 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

parsnip, beet, turnip, or carrot ; one ounce of dry toast ; 
fruit out of a pudding not sweetened ; any kind of 
poultry or game, and three or four glasses of good 
claret, sherry, or madeira (champagne, port, and beer 
forbidden). 

" For tea, at 6 p.m., two or three ounces of cooked 
fruit, a rusk or two, and a cup of tea without milk or 
sugar. 

" For supper, at 9 p.m., three or four ounces of meat 
or fish with a glass or two of claret, or sherry and 
water." 

The propriety of the last meal, or of the taking of 
sherry or madeira (heat-producing wines), or of rusks, 
which are sweet biscuits, is doubtful. 

The following are the principal fat-producing foods 
— viz. : 

Milk, cream, butter, fats, soups, puddings, pastry, 
sugar, candies, cake, and all sweet dishes, rice, corn- 
starch, and all the farinaceous foods (excepting toasted 
bread or bread crust), including potatoes, corn, all edi- 
ble roots and vegetables grown under ground — sweet- 
fruits, and spirituous and malt liquors. 

The following are non-fat-producing foods — viz. : 

All the meats, poultry, and game, with the excep- 
tion of the fat portions thereof, oysters and shell-fish ; 
celery, spinach, and all the greens, cabbage, onions, 
lettuce, squash, tomatoes, and other vegetables con- 
taining little or no starch, and all acid fruits. 

Dr. Dobell thinks that a certain amount of fat 
should be taken with the food. On this subject he 
says : " On comparing the foregoing analysis of Mr. 
Banting's diet for getting thin with my tables of nor- 
mal diets, it will be seen that it yields less than half 
the normal quantity of carbon, leaving the deficiency 
to be obtained from the fat already stored up in the 

94 



DIET IN DIFFERENT DISEASES 

system, by the consumption of which the obesity is 
removed. The fault consists in this reduction of car- 
bon being obtained by diminishing the hydrocarbons 
(fats) of the foods instead of cutting off only the car- 
bohydrates (sugar and starch). It has happened to 
me to have much to do with a great number of per- 
sons who have tried Bantingism, and I do not hesi- 
tate to say that Mr. Banting has done a great deal 
more harm than good. Mr. Banting candidly told 
his readers that he was ignorant of the physiology of 
food. 

" The facts in the case are these : 1. A certain 
amount of fat in the system is one of the most essen- 
tial elements of health. 2. The quantity required by 
different individuals to maintain health differs. As 
much fat should be taken as the stomach likes. 3. 
The effects of a deficiency of the quantity actually re- 
quired are most disastrous, the tissues of the body and 
the brain and nerves being at length disintegrated to 
supply the elements of fat which they contain. 4. 
When there is a quantity of fat in the body in excess 
of that necessary to health, it may be lessened with 
great (and needed) advantage, provided it be done 
slowly and without cutting off too much of the fat 
element of food." 

There is much to be gained by observing certain 
other rules, aside from the dietary. For instance, 
every morning a hasty cold-water sponge-bath should 
be taken, and the body should be well rubbed with a 
crash towel. And whenever the body is too warm, 
the cold-water sponge-bath may be repeated. The 
clothing should not be too warm. All the bodily 
exercise that can be taken without fatigue should 
be persistently kept up. The vibratory-motion ma- 
chine is excellent for reducing fat. This machine 

95 



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71 CI 



:!:'. .- T 



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11 : i_~. ~ _ 



■ 



DIET IN DIFFERENT DISEASE- 

Climate has much to do with the preservation of 
youth, or rather health- In the extended territory of 
the United States many healthful situations are I 
be found, though our climate is marked bv extremes 
of heat and cold. In some portions of Scotland men 
often retain their full vigor at eighty. The equable 
climate of England is especially favorable to longevity. 

It is observed by Mrs. Ernest Hart that "In old 
age the power of fasting is not so great as in earlier 
life ; and the meals, while being smaller, should there- 
fore be more frequent, the intervals between them 
being short. A small amount of alcohol with food is 
also often beneficial to the aged. The long fa- 
the night, during which sleep is not sound, is ill borne, 
and a glass of milk, or a cup of beef -tea, may often 
be taken in the night with advantage. ... As age 
increases and strength diminishes, food should be more 
stimulating and strengthening.** 

A study of the subject shows that great longevity 
has always been accompanied by abstemiousness in 
diet ; also, that great eaters never live long. 

The deaths of Sir Moses Montefiore at one hundred 
and one years, and of Sir Isaac Holden at ninety 
years, serve to emphasize these results Sir Isaac 
attributed his long life and his active old age mainlv 
to the use of fruits, in which he believed that a large 
amount of solar energy is stored. He lamented the 
death of his wife, "long before her time," at eighty, 
because she would not adopt his dietetic rules. He 
opposed the use of meat and of bread in old age. on 
account of the phosphate of lime they contain, which 
is only needed in growth, when the bones, etc.. are 
forming. It is said by many authorities that, after 
middle life, excess in the use of bread produe- ssi- 
fication of the muscles of the heart, rheumatism, etc. 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

u Bread," it was declared b}^ Sir Isaac Holden, " is the 
staff of life for growing human beings and prospective 
or nursing mothers, but poison for the elderly, clogging 
the arteries as if they were furred boilers." 

This subject may well be concluded by quoting the 
following language of Dean Farrar : " The serene old 
age which is secured by temperance, sobriety, and the 
conquest of vicious appetites and passions — the long, 
mellow autumn of life, in which are harvested the 
fruits of useful toil — is to be coveted and striven for 
by all." 



UTENSILS 



A Double Tin Steamer with double tin cover and 
copper bottom is invaluable among cooking utensils, 
especially for making dishes for the sick. The double, 
tight- fitting cover, securing the heat, cannot be sat- 
isfactorily replaced by 
any improvised cover. 
The steamer is also val- 
uable as a bain-marie — 
i.e., a utensil in which 
any cooked dish may 
be kept hot. When 
thus used the steamer 
containing hot (not 
boiling) water is kept at 
the back of the range. 
The double cover and 
the hot -water lining 
protect soup, vegetables, sauce, oysters, or any dish 
placed inside. The flavor of food is almost entirely 
preserved when kept in this manner. 

This steamer is especially useful for making Boston 
brown bread, Graham pudding, farina pudding, cus- 
tards, etc. 

The Earthen Crock (see p. 166) is recommended for 
cooking grains (oatmeal, etc.), apple sauce, fruit com- 
potes, etc. When this crock is heated gradually, there 
is little danger of its breaking. 

99 




DOUBLE TIN STEAMER 



UTENSILS 

A Copper Saucepan. — This is a rather expensive 
utensil, but when once used it will be found indispen- 
sable ; since materials which scorch readily — viz., arti- 
cles made with milk, cracked wheat, or any of the 
grains, sauces, etc., which are improved by simmering — 
may be cooked in it with almost no danger of burning. 
The same materials could be cooked in a new porce- 
lain-lined kettle or earthen crock; but no saucepans 
preserve the same even, regular heat as those made 




SAUCEPAN 



of copper. As porcelain-lined kettles are not durable, 
the copper saucepans in the end are cheaper. They 
will last for an indefinite period. However, special 
care should be taken, if the copper is exposed inside, 
to have them at once retinned. 

It is claimed that cooking utensils of aluminum pos- 
sess the same merits with the added virtues of light- 
ness and non-liability to rust, but for some unexplained 
reason they have not met with popular favor. 

Meat -juice Press — for extracting the juice from 
meat. The meat — a thick steak cut from the round 
of beef being preferable — is broiled enough to become 

101 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

well heated through. It is 
then cut into pieces an inch 
or less square, and put into 
the press, which has been pre- 
viously heated by inserting 
both cud and cover in hot wa- 
ter. Juicy meat will yield 
nearly half its weight in liq- 
uid. An equal quantity of 
warm water is often added 
to the meat juice, and all 
should be very lightly season- 
ed. It can be reheated be- 
fore giving it to the patient, 

although it should not reach the boiling-point, for 

reasons explained on p. 130. 

A Porcelain Duck is used for administering drinks 
and fluid foods to a patient in a recumbent position. 
The narrow neck prevents a too rapid flow of fluid 




MEAT PRESS 




PORCELAIN DUCK 



into the mouth. The duck should be warmed before 
hot foods are poured into it. 

Glass Tubes are made for the same purpose, and are 
also convenient. Glass funnels are also serviceable. 

102 



UTENSILS 

Porcelain or Glass Spoons, for administering medi- 
cines, may be purchased of any druggist. 

A Little Glass Dropper, for measuring medicine by 
drops, is essential. 
A Graduated Medicine Glass is also necessary. 

Asbestos Mats, which enable dishes to be kept warm 
without danger of burning, are always useful. 



SERVICE OF AN INVALID'S FOOD 

Too much care cannot be bestowed on the mode of 
serving the food of an invalid. The linen must, of 
course, be spotless, and every essential for the tray 
should be used, when practicable, for its service alone, 
so that nothing may be forgotten or displaced. Mo- 
notony should, however, be avoided. The comfort 
and cheerfulness of an invalid are greatly dependent 
on attention to the minute details of daily life, and 
the appetite will often be stimulated by some pleasant 
surprise in the serving of a meal — a change in the 
decoration of the china used, a vase of fresh flowers, 
not too fragrant, a daintily embroidered doyley, or 
fruit served in its own leaves. 

A cup of tea or other liquid should never be quite 
filled, in order that it may not be spilled on the nap- 
kin or in the saucer. 

Food not intended for immediate use should not 
remain near the invalid, and nothing to eat should be 
kept in the sick-room. 

It is not necessary to add that food should always 
be served hot or cold, as the diet may require. There 
are few things more discouraging to the appetite than 
lukewarm tea, soft butter, or half-melted ices. 

The writer would also add a few suggestions with 
regard to the sick-room. An airy, cheerful, quiet 
room makes illness more endurable, and is an impor- 
tant element in convalescence. All superfluous hang- 

105 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

frigs should be removed, and the windows should in- 
variably be fitted with wire screens to keep out mos- 
quitoes and flies, which are said to disseminate the 
germs of malarial and typhoid fever, dysentery, etc. 

Above all, there should be plenty of sunshine. JNot 
only does it add to the comfort and cheerfulness of the 
patient ; but sunlight is known to be one of the best 
of disinfectants, and its absence induces catarrh and 
rheumatism, and aggravates many other forms of ill- 
ness. In diseases of the throat and lungs a. sunny 
room is a necessity. The Italians have a proverb — 
" Where the sun does not enter, the doctor does." 



RECEIPTS FOR THE SICK AND CONVA- 
LESCENT 

DRINKS 

Distilled Water (Dr. Beard) 

" For diseases of the kidneys, etc., this, the purest of 
water, may be obtained by fixing a curved tin tube 
three or four feet long to the spout of a teakettle, and 
conducting its free end into a jar which should be 
placed in a basin of cold water. The liquid, as it 
drops, must be kept cool by frequently changing the 
water in which the jar is placed. The steam thus con- 
densed is pure water. Distilled water is mawkish to 
taste, but this is easily corrected by pouring it from 
one vessel to another successively for ten or fifteen 
minutes, so as to involve in it a quantity of atmos- 
pheric air." (See " Water," p. 14.) 

Lime-water 

Pour over a piece of fresh unslaked lime, about an 
inch square, two quarts of hot water. When it is slaked 
stir it thoroughly. Let it settle overnight. Bottle 
carefully all the liquid that can be poured off in a per- 
fectly clear state. 

As water will only hold a certain amount of lime in 
solution, the addition of more lime will not add to 
its strength. 

107 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Lime-water (an alkali) is generally added to milk 
for the purpose of neutralizing the effects of an acid 
stomach. 

From a teaspoonful to a table -spoonful of lime- 
water to a half-pint of milk is usually prescribed. 

Barley-water 

Add to a pint of boiling water half a table-spoonful 
(half an ounce) of Robinson's patent barley, or the 
Health Food barley, rubbed smooth, with two table- 
spoonfuls of cold water ; add also a pinch of salt and 
a table-spoonful of sugar. Let it boil five minutes. It 
is to be drunk cold. Zest — i.e.. the vellow rind of a 
lemon cut thin, or rubbed with lump-sugar to extract 
its oil — may be added as a flavoring; or lemonade 
may be made with barley-water. 

Barley-water may be used temporarily instead of 
milk when the latter disagrees with the patient. 

Oatmeal Drink 

Rub two table-spoonfuls (two ounces) of oatmeal 
smooth, stirring in gradually a teacupf ul of cold water ; 
add a pinch of salt. Stir this into a quart of boiling 
water and let it boil half an hour. Strain it through 
a fine sieve. 

Tamarind- water 

Stir into a glassful of water a table-spoonful of pre- 
served tamarinds. Strain, if necessary. 

Cinnamon-water 

Add five or six sticks (half an ounce) of cinnamon 
to a pint of boiling water, and boil fifteen minutes. 
To be administered by the table-spoonful. 

108 



RECEIPTS FOR SICK AND CONVALESCENT 

Toast- water 

Toast thoroughly thin slices of Graham -bread, and 
break them into a bowl. Pour over enough boiling 
water to cover them. When cold, strain off the water 
and sweeten it slightly. Serve it always freshly made. 

Currant-jelly Water (for fever patients) 

A teaspoonful of currant- jelly dissolved in a goblet 
of water, and sweetened to taste, affords a refreshing 
drink for invalids. Apollinaris or seltzer water makes 
all cold fruit drinks more palatable. 

Flaxseed Tea 

Add half a cupful of flaxseed to four cupfuls, or a 
quart, of boiling water. Let it boil half an hour. 
Let it stand fifteen or twenty minutes near the fire 
after it has boiled. Of course the longer it stands the 
thicker it becomes. Strain, sweeten to taste, and add 
a little lemon juice if preferred. 

This is a useful demulcent drink for coughs, etc. 

Flaxseed and Licorice Tea (for coughs, etc.) 

Pour one pint of boiling water over one ounce of 
flaxseed, not bruised, and two drachms of licorice-root 
bruised, and place the covered vessel near the fire for 
four hours. Strain it through a sieve. 



o 



Herb Teas 

are made by pouring boiling water over one or two 
teaspoonf uls of the herbs ; then, after covering the 
tin cup or bowl, allow it to steep for several minutes 
by the side of the fire. The tea is then poured off, 
and sweetened to taste. Camomile tea is used for 
nervousness and sleeplessness ; calamus tea, for infant's 

109 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Lime-water (an alkali) is generally added to milk 
for the purpose of neutralizing the effects of an acid 
stomach. 

From a teaspoonful to a table -spoonful of lime- 
water to a half-pint of milk is usually prescribed. 

Barley-water 

Add to a pint of boiling water half a table-spoonful 
(half an ounce) of Robinson's patent barley, or the 
Health Food barley, rubbed smooth, with two table- 
spoonfuls of cold water ; add also a pinch of salt and 
a table-spoonful of sugar. Let it boil five minutes. It 
is to be drunk cold. Zest — i.e.. the vellow rind of a 
lemon cut thin, or rubbed with lump-sugar to extract 
its oil — may be added as a flavoring; or lemonade 
may be made with barley-water. 

Barley-water may be used temporarily instead of 
milk when the latter disagrees with the patient. 

Oatmeal Drink 

Rub two table-spoonfuls (two ounces) of oatmeal 
smooth, stirring in gradually a teacupf ul of cold water ; 
add a pinch of salt. Stir this into a quart of boiling 
water and let it boil half an hour. Strain it through 
a fine sieve. 

Tamarind- water 

Stir into a glassful of water a table-spoonful of pre- 
served tamarinds. Strain, if necessary. 

Cinnamon-water 

Add five or six sticks (half an ounce) of cinnamon 
to a pint of boiling water, and boil fifteen minutes. 
To be administered by the table-spoonful. 

108 



RECEIPTS FOR SICK AND CONVALESCENT 

If the jelly is hard, boiling water will have to be 
added to dissolve it. It should be drunk cold. 

The fresh fruits are, of course, to be preferred. 

There is nothing more refreshing than currant- 
w r ater made from fresh currants. This can be pre- 
pared by allowing a pint of water to a pint of cur- 
rants (freed from the stems) and a table-spoonful of 
sugar. Heat slowly in a porcelain or granitized iron 
kettle until it boils ; then let it simmer for five min- 
utes. Strain it through a cloth, cool, and sweeten 
again to taste. It can be diluted with water. 

If strawberries, raspberries, black raspberries, or 
blackberries are used, prepare them in the same man- 
ner, excepting that for each quart of berries a pint 
of water with a table - spoonful of sugar should be 
used. 

These beverages should not be given to gouty pa- 
tients. 

Grape Juice (see p. 39) 

Allow one pint of water to three pints of fruit 
(picked from the stems). Let it simmer slowly for 
five minutes, then strain it through flannel or cheese 
cloth. It is drunk cold without sweetening, although 
a little sugar may be added if preferred. 

Apple-water 

Boil a large juicy apple (pared, cored, and cut into 
pieces) in a pint of water in a closely-covered saucepan 
until the apple is stewed into a pulp. Strain the 
liquor, pressing all the juice from the pulp. Sweeten 
to taste. Sometimes these fruit-waters are made with 
rice or barley water. To be drunk cold. 

Use the same receipt for any of the fruits — vis., 
pears, peaches, plums, French prunes, figs, raisins, 
rhubarb, etc. 

ill 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Apple Wine (German) 

Wipe carefully some ripe, juicy apples ; cut them up 
without coring or paring ; allow one quart of water 
to every ten ounces of fruit, and boil for three-quarters 
of an hour. 

Strain through a napkin previously wrung in cold 
water. Add half a cupful of sugar to every quart of 
liquid, also the juice of one lemon (unless the apples 
are very acid). Boil for half an hour, skim and strain 
again. Bottle and keep in a cool place. 

Lemonade 

Rub loaf-sugar over the yellow rind of the lemon 
to extract the oil ; add to the lemon juice (without 
seeds) the sugar, to taste. One lemon will make two 
glassfuls of lemonade, the remainder of the ingredi- 
ents being water and a little ice chopped fine. Lem- 
onade should not contain too much lemon juice. 
Sugar syrup (p. 110) is always best for sweetening 
drinks. 

Professionals serve a couple of strawberries on top 
— also a couple of straws. 

Almond Milk 

Pound one quarter of a pound of sweet almonds 
very fine. Pour over them gradually one pint of 
boiling water, stirring constantly. Strain through a 
fine sieve, sweeten to taste, and add two table-spoon- 
fuls of sherry. Or it may be flavored with one table- 
spoonful of orange-flower or rose water, or other ex- 
tract. 

Flaxseed Lemonade 

(A demulcent drink for throat and lung troubles.) 
Pour a pint of boiling water on two table-spoonfuls 

112 






RECEIPTS FOR SICK AND CONVALESCENT 

of whole flaxseed, cover, and let it steep for three 
hours. When cold, add the juice of a lemon, and 
sweeten with sugar or sugar syrup. 

White- wine Flip 

To one bottle of sherry, champagne, or other white 
wine add one gill of noyau or maraschino, the juice 
of half a lemon, and one quart of calf s-foot or other 
jelly, well sweetened and made boiling hot. Serve 
immediately. 

Blackberry Cordial 

Mash one half bushel of blackberries with a wooden 
spoon and put into a porcelain-lined kettle with four 
ounces allspice, two ounces stick cinnamon, and two 
ounces of cloves. Boil slowly for three hours ; strain, 
and add to every pint of juice one half pound of loaf- 
sugar. Boil again for an hour and a half ; skim, and, 
when cool, add to the whole one half gallon of good 
brandy. 

May Wine 

May wine is used in Germany as a spring tonic and 
cooling beverage. It is not generally known in this 
country, since the herb to which it owes its pecul- 
iar properties has only recently been found growing 
here. This herb — Asperula odorata, called in Eng- 
land woodroof — grows freely, among other places, in 
the neighborhood of Washington, D.C. 

The shoots should be plucked while young, in April 
or May, washed, and put in a bowl. Allow ten sprigs 
to each bottle of Rhine wine, or Moselle, two sliced 
oranges (with the peel), and two and a half to three 
ounces of sugar. Steep, according to the maturity of 

H 113 



MET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

the plant, from twenty minutes to two hours 

and put in bottles, which should remain uncorked for 

:~:> or three days. 

If the plant is gathered young, immediately after 
rain, and kept in a covered dish for two or three days 



«&l 




rixE 



before using the flavor will be stronger. The wine 
may be served in a bowl wreathed with sprigs of the 

ATile:-pu3"ch 

Sweeten to t three-quarters full of fresh 

new milk, and add : ne or two table -spoonfuls 

of brandv or whisker, Grate a little nutmeg over 
the top. 

A professional milk-punch maker would have two 
tin cups, as in cut. the top of the smaller cup fitting 
an inch be^ p of the larger cup. 

The punch is shaken _ : uslv up and down for 

114 






RECEIPTS FOR SICK AND CONVALESCENT 

two or three minutes, when it is poured into a glass 
with a fine froth on top. 

Or the milk may be poured dexterously in a long 
stream from one tumbler to another to produce the 

froth. 




Egg and Milk Prxcu 

Stir well a heaping teaspoonful of sugar and the 
yolk of an egg in a goblet, then add a table-spoonful 
of best brandy or whiskey. Fill the glass with fresh 
new milk until it is three-quarters full, then stir well 
into the mixture the white of an egg beaten to a stiff 
froth. 

Egg-nog 

"Whip well together in a bowl the yolk of an egg 
and a heaping teaspoonful of sugar, then stir in one or 
two table-spoonfuls of best brandy or whiskey. Xow 
stir in caref ullv the white of the egg beaten to a stiff 
froth, and a half pint (one cupful) of sweet cream 

115 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 



whipped also to a froth. The egg froth and the 
whipped cream should be quite ready before the other 



ingredients are mixed together, 

Tom and Jerry 

Beat an egg (yolk 
and white) with a 
heaping teaspoonful 
of sugar until it is 
very light — quite a 
froth — then mix in 
one or two table- 
spoonfuls of rum and 
three - fourths of a 
cupful of boiling wa- 
ter. Turn this back 
and forth in two hot 
pitchers to mix well, 
then pour it into a 
hot glass. Grate a 
little nutmeg over 
the top and serve im- 
mediately. 

Mint-julep (Old Virginia Receipt) 

Carefully remove all bruised leaves (as they give a 
rank flavor) from a dozen sprigs of mint, freshly 
gathered, or which have been kept in a cool place with 
their stems in water. 

Fill the larger of the cups already indicated for 
Milk-punch (p. 115) with finely crushed ice — the finer 
the better. Sprinkle over this one table-spoonful of 
granulated sugar, and shake in the two cups until the 
sugar is thoroughly dissolved. Add more fine ice, 
and put into a tall glass or silver goblet ; add the 
mint, and pour over it very slowly from one to two 

11*6 




KGG-NOG 



RECEIPTS FOR SICK AND CONVALESCENT 

table -spoonfuls of brandy, or half brandy and half 
whiskey, allowing it to circulate through the mint for 
five minutes before serving. 

It was formerly the custom to pass a silver tankard 




MINT- JULEP 



of this julep from guest to guest in Virginia country 
houses, before breakfast, as it was believed to avert 
malarial fever. 



Egg Cordial (Lady St. Clair, in Dainty Dishes) 

" One table-spoonful of cream ; the white of a very 
fresh egg; one table-spoonful of brandy. First whip 
the egg nearly to a froth, then add the cream, and 
whip both together; add the brandy by degrees, and 
mix well. Do not let it stand after it is made. This 
is very nourishing, and will stay on the stomach when 

117 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

nothing else will. The receipt was given me by the 
late Professor Miller, of Edinburgh.' 

The present writer would suggest the addition of 
a teaspoon ful of sugar. 

Egg and Lemon 

An egg, beaten up with the juice of a lemon and a 
teaspoonful of sugar, is often beneficial in fever. 

Claret-cup (No. 1) 

To a quart of claret allow half a cupful of lump- 
sugar, four oranges, four lemons, and a cupful of black 
or half a cupful of green tea. Rub the sugar over the 
oranges and lemons to obtain their zest ; squeeze the 
fruit, and add the juice, the sugar, and the tea, with 
some shreds of orange and lemon peel, to the claret. 
Let it stand for twelve hours, strain, and serve very 
cold, but with no ice in it ; adding, just before serving, 
slices of orange, pineapple, or other fruit. 

Or two table-spoonfuls of brandy may be added to 
the mixture given above, and the whole poured over a 
block of ice and served immediately. 

Claret-cup (No. 2) 

To one pint of claret add four ounces of sugar, a 
pint of the juice of any fruit in season, strained, a gill 
of curacoa or other liqueur, and a pint of soda-water. 
Add strawberries, sliced pineapples, oranges, or other 
fruit, and pour into glasses over crushed ice. 

A Glass of Cream 

There is no - beverage more wholesome for a con- 
valescent than a glass of fresh, sweet cream. With 
the addition of a cold roll, or a health-food cracker 
biscuit, and perhaps a baked apple, it is a meal in 

118 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

itself. It is preferable to a repast with tea or coffee. 
A glass of cream served at a Vienna cafe is partly 
whipped. 

Tea 

Two things are necessary to ensure good tea : first, 
the water should be at the boiling-point, actually 
bubbling (water simply hot or steaming not answering 
the purpose) ; and, secondly, the tea should be served 
freshly made. Tea should never be boiled, nor left 
standing more than three minutes after it is made, be- 
fore drinking. 

Sqald out well a little Chinese earthen-ware teapot, 
then throw into it two teaspoonfuls (not heaping) of 
good black tea (English breakfast especially recom- 
mended). Place over the fire some clear, fresh water, 
and when it begins to boil, pour two cupfuls into the 
teapot. Water at the first toiling is essential to good 
tea. 

Let the teapot then stand at the side of the fire 
(without boiling) a minute. 

Now serve the tea. Do not attempt to pour the 
tea into the cup, but place the teapot on the brightest 
of salvers. On this have a plate and the whitest of 
napkins, and on this again a thin, dainty cup and 
saucer, with a bright teaspoon at the side. The little 
teapot takes another corner, with a small pitcher of 
hot water. A fancy dish, a leaf perhaps, contains 
three or four lumps of loaf-sugar, and a second minia- 
ture pitcher a few spoonfuls of cream. Connoisseurs, 
however, do not drink tea with cream or milk. On 
another plate is the toast, or whatever else the invalid 
is allowed. 

By placing this salver on a little table by the side of 
the invalid's bed or chair, he can see the tea poured 
out steaming hot, while catching its pleasant aroma. 

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RECEIPTS FOR SICK AND CONVALESCENT 

Coffee 

The writer once watched a professional French cook 
making coffee in a common coffee-pot. For several 
reasons, it is believed, there is no better method of 
making it than his. 

His proportions should not be taken, for the French 
always make coffee too strong — at least, too strong for 
an invalid, or any one who does not care to become 
one. Allow two table-spoonfuls of coffee to a pint Of 
water. Put the coffee in the coffee-pot and pour over 
it about a third of a pint of boiling, bubbling water. 
Cover the coffee-pot and let it stand until just about 
to boil again, then pour in the second third ; and 
again, when this is about to boil, pour in the re- 
mainder, letting it stand until it reaches the same 
point; then set it back of the range for a few moments 
to settle. Serve immediately. 

Of course proper attention must previously have 
been given to the even and proper roasting of the 
coffee, remembering that one burned berry will ruin 
the flavor of the whole. Again, the coffee is much 
better when the berries have been freshly roasted. If 
they are not freshly roasted, place them a few minutes 
in the oven before grinding, and it will serve to revive 
the aroma and bring out the oil. It is a good plan when 
coffee is freshly roasted and still hot to mix in a little 
of the white of egg. It will form a very thin coating 
around the berries, and will keep them fresh. They 
should not be ground until ready for use. The egg 
then serves to clear the coffee. A mixture of two- 
thirds Java and one -third Mocha ensures the best 
coffee. 

The flavor of the coffee will be altogether different 
if a table-spoonful of sweet, rich cream is served with 

121 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

it, instead of milk or boiled milk. If cream is out of 
the question, use hot boiled milk, diluting the coffee 
always with the hot milk instead of hot water; in 
fact, coffee made with milk instead of water is excel- 
lent. Sweeten the coffee with lump-sugar. The Vi- 
enna coffee is served with one or two table-spoonfuls 
of whipped cream on the coffee in the cup. 

Venetian Coffee 

Black coffee, used in hot weather as a heart stimu- 
lant, may be made more refreshing by serving it, as in 
Yenice, with whipped cream frozen. 

Chocolate 

For invalids the homoeopathic preparation of choco- 
late called " alkathrepta " is the most wholesome, for 
the reason that it contains no vanilla — and vanilla 
should never be used by an invalid. The homoeopath- 
ic writers say that it is a most unwholesome, if not 
poisonous, flavoring for any one. Indeed, vanilla is 
sometimes used medicinally. 

For one coffee-cupful of chocolate (half -pint cup) 
allow one ounce or one and a quarter table-spoonfuls 
of chocolate and one and a quarter cupfuls of milk. 
Scrape the chocolate into a tin cup and mix in by 
degrees the quarter cupful of cold milk ; stir it care- 
fully over the fire (taking care that it does not burn) 
until it is a perfectry smooth paste. 

When the remaining cupful of milk is boiling, 
sweeten it with two lumps of loaf-sugar, and stir in 
the chocolate paste, adding a little of the boiling milk 
to it, to dilute it evenly. Let it boil a minute. Stir 
it into a froth with an egg- whisk, and serve immedi- 
ately. 

A table-spoonful of whipped cream on top of the 

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RECEIPTS FOR SICK AND CONVALESCENT 

chocolate in the cup is a pleasing addition ; or the 
cream can be put in the bottom of the cup and the 
chocolate poured over it. 

Seltzer-water and Milk 

An equal quantity of milk and seltzer-water mixed 
is considered a desirable beverage when some nourish- 
ment and a slight aperient are required. 

In the case of a friend of the writer, in New York, 
who was suffering from a light attack of pneumonia, 
a distinguished physician (Dr. Loomis) prescribed a 
glass half full of milk and half of seltzer - water, to 
be taken every four hours. At the end of the alter- 
nate two hours a half glass of vichy was to be taken. 
This, with a mustard-plaster and perfect rest, induced 
a rapid recovery. 




GKUELS 

The writer desires to call special attention to the 
barley gruel made of Robinson's patent barley flour 
(p. 124), as explained in the following receipt. The 

123 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

gruel is delicate and delicious in flavor and is invalua- 
ble in nearly all forms of illness. 

Barley Gruel 
Wet, gradually (stirring it until smooth), half an 
ounce, or one table-spoonful, of Robinson's patent bar- 
ley flour, with half a gill of cold water ; stir well into 
it one gill of boiling water and a small pinch of salt. 
Let it cook over the fire for five minutes, stirring it 
slowly part of the time, then add half a gill of hot 
milk. Let it again come just to a boil, then take it 
off the fire, stir in a teaspoonful of sugar, and it is 
ready to serve. Gruels are always better when served 
quite freshly made and hot. This receipt will make a 
coffee-cupful of gruel. One gill contains nine table- 
spoonfuls of liquid. A delicious blanc-mange is made 
by adding to the preceding receipt, w T hen just cooked, 
the well -beaten whites of two eggs; stir them in 
smoothly and let the mixture remain a minute over 
the fire (stirring it meanwhile) to set the egg^ though 
not allowing it to boil. This may be moulded and eaten 
cold with a little cream poured over it, but it is better 
when served hot. 

Graham-flour Gruel 

Ingredients: Two table-spoonfuls (one and a quar- 
ter ounces) of Graham flour, or, what is much better, 
the granulated wheat of the Health-food Company ; 
one pint and a half of water ; a saltspoonful of salt 
(not heaping). Mix the flour with a quarter of a pint 
of cold water, pouring in only two or three table- 
spoonfuls at first, and rubbing it well to keep it from 
lumping, then gradually add the rest ; mix in also 
the salt ; stir in the extra one pint and a quarter of 
water when the water is boiling. 

Boil it slowly for an hour, or until reduced one half. 

124 



.RECEIPTS FOR SICK AND CONVALESCENT 

Oatmeal Gruel (No. 1) 

Ingredients : One heaping table-spoonful (one ounce) 
of oatmeal, one pint and two table-spoonfuls of water, 
half a saltspoonful of salt. 

Rub the oatmeal smooth with two table-spoonfuls of 
cold water. Add the salt to the pint of water in the 
saucepan, and, when it boils, stir in the oatmeal paste. 
Let it boil slowly for half an hour with the saucepan 
partly covered. The gruel when cooked will be re- 
duced to half a pint. 

If this gruel be made for an infant it should be 
passed through a sieve. 

The gruel above described is that which is most 
frequently used. A stronger diet is made by adding 
one or two table-spoonfuls of cream as soon as the 
gruel is cooked. 

"When a nourishing and stimulating diet is required, 
the gruel can be made into what is called an "oat- 
meal caudle " (see below). 

Oatmeal is considered too heating for gouty pa- 
tients. 

Oatmeal Gruel (No. 2). — (Used in feverish condi- 
tions.) 

This preparation of oatmeal is given by the United 
States Dispensatoiw as follows : " Put one ounce, or 
a heaping table - spoonful of oatmeal, rubbed until 
smooth in a little water, into three pints of boiling 
water, and boil it until reduced to two pints ; then 
strain it, and let it cool and settle. When it is quite 
cold, pour the clear gruel from the sediment, add the 
juice of a lemon, and sugar to taste. If it is de- 
sired to have it w T arm, heat it before adding the 
lemon juice. 

125 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Oatmeal Caudle 

Take half a pint of simple gruel (as described in 
Oatmeal Gruel No. 1), and as soon as it has slightly 
cooled stir in a teaspoonful of sugar and the beaten 
yolk of an egg ; return the gruel to the fire for half a 
minute to cook and to set the egg, stirring it and not 
allowing it to boil. Take it again from the fire and 
add a table-spoonful of good brandy, Jamaica rum 
port, or sherry. 

Flour Gruel, or Thickened Milk (No. 1) 

Ingredients: One heaping table-spoonful of flour 
(one ounce); one pint and three table-spoonfuls of 
milk ; salt. Rub the flour until smooth with three 
table-spoonfuls of cold milk, then stir it into a pint of 
boiling milk; add half a saltspoonful of salt, and let 
it simmer for live minutes. It may be flavored and 
sweetened by adding, when cooked, a teaspoonful of 
sugar and a grating of nutmeg, or a dozen raisins may 
be boiled in the milk, and either taken out afterwards 
or left in for the sake of appearances, though they are 
not to be eaten. 

Flour Gruel (No. 2) 

When the Flour Gruel JNo. 1 is just done, take it 
from the fire, let it cool half a minute, then stir in the 
yolk of an egg, beaten well with two teaspoonfuls of 
sugar ; return it to the fire (without allowing it to 
boil), and stir it until quite hot again (a half -minute), 
then mix in smoothly the Avhite of the egg beaten to 
a stiff froth. This gruel is very nice, for a change, 
with the beaten white of the egg added without the 
yolk. 

126 



RECEIPTS FOR SICK AND CONVALESCENT 

Flour Gruel, of Prepared Flour (No. 3) 

To prepare the flour, knead any quantity of flour 
with water into a ball, and tie the whole firmly in a 
linen cloth ; put it into an iron saucepan and cover it 
with boiling water. Let it boil slowly (replenishing 
with boiling water when necessary) for twelve hours. 
Place it before the fire to dry, and afterwards, when 
removing the cloth, separate a thick skin or rind which 
has formed, and again dry the ball. 

Receipt : Bring a pint of milk with half a salt- 
spoonful of salt to a boil, and then stir in one table- 
spoonful (one ounce) of the prepared flour, previously 
rubbed smooth with three table-spoonfuls of cold milk ; 
cook about three minutes. 

An excellent diet for summer complaint. 

Rice Gruel 

Ingredients : One well - filled table-spoonful (one 
ounce) of ground rice ; one pint and three table-spoon- 
fuls of milk or water ; a pinch of salt. Mix and cook 
it like simple oatmeal gruel, excepting that the rice 
gruel is boiled fifteen minutes. 

This gruel is principally used for bowel complaints. 
If the doctor prescribes port wine or brandy, this 
gruel may be made with a teaspoonful of sugar and 
a table-spoonful of the wine or liquor added. 

Farina Gruel 

Rub a heaping table-spoonful of farina smooth with 
three table-spoonfuls of milk, and add it to a pint of 
boiling water ; add also a pinch of salt. Let it boil 
twenty minutes, stirring occasionally. When done, 
add two gills of good, sweet cream. This gruel can 

127 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

also be varied as was described for flour gruel — with 
sugar and egg added. 

Corn-meal Gruel 

Ingredients : One pint of water ; a little salt ; six 
table-spoonf uls of milk ; one table-spoonful (one ounce) 
of corn-meal flour. Mix the corn-meal smooth by add- 
ing gradually the milk ; add also the salt, and stir it 
into a pint of boiling water. After it begins to boil 
let it simmer (uncovered) for forty minutes. 

Panada 

Sprinkle a little salt or sugar between two large 
Boston soda or Graham crackers, or hard pilot biscuit ; 
put them into a bowl ; pour over just enough boiling 
water to soak them well ; put the bowl into a vessel 
of boiling water, and let it remain fifteen or twenty 
minutes, until the crackers are quite clear and like a 
jelly, but not broken. Then lift them carefully, with- 
out breaking, into a hot saucer. Sprinkle on more 
sugar or salt if desired ; it is improved by the addi- 
tion of a few spoonfuls of sweet, thick cream. Never 
make more than enough for a patient at one time, as 
it is very palatable when freshly made, and quite in- 
sipid if served cold. 

Toasted bread cut into thin, even slices may be 
served in the same way. This is also a good baby-diet 
for a child over seven or eight months old. 

A panada gruel may be made by adding to a cupful 
of boiling water, in a saucepan, a half-cupful of stale 
bread crumbs (without the crust) and a pinch of salt. 
Let it simmer five or ten minutes, or until.it is, when 
stirred, of the consistency of gruel. It may be sweet- 
ened or not. A table-spoonful of split raisins, boiled 
with the gruel, makes a pleasant flavor. Sprinkle 

128 



RECEIPTS FOR SICK AND CONVALESCENT 

sugar over the top when served. The raisins should 
not be eaten. If panada is made of the new-process 
flour, it is as nourishing as any of the gruels. 

Oatmeal Ptisan 

The only receipt given by Hippocrates is one for 
" oatmeal ptisan." The oatmeal must boil, he says, 
until the grains will swell no longer. It must be 
allowed to settle and then strained through a coarse 
colander. 

BEEF-TEAS AND BROTHS 

" To give beef-tea alone to a sick person," says Dr. 
Fothergill, " is to give him a stone when he asks for 
bread. Beef-tea is not a food, but a stimulant." Its 
albumen has become extracted by boiling, and it con- 
tains only such nitrogenous elements as add to the 
urea to be excreted by the kidneys. 

Beef-tea is, however, a powerful stimulant, and the 
meat, salts, etc., which it contains are of considerable 
value, but it is not food, fuel, or nourishment. In 
some of the London hospitals, after the preparation of 
beef- tea, the solid meat left is dried, pounded in a 
mortar, freed from stringy parts, and mixed with the 
liquid beef -tea. This restores the meat fibrin, etc., 
to the fluid, and, in convalescence from acute diseases, 
where waste is to be repaired, it is beneficial. With 
the addition of some form of unbolted flour it consti- 
tutes at once nourishment and stimulant. 

Dr. Holland, in his admirable little work on Diet 
for the Sick, says : 

" The albuminoid or flesh-forming principle of meats 
is coagulated by hot water, and either remains in the 
meat or is skimmed off the extract (as scum). The 
water has taken up the mineral salts and the flavoring 

I 129 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

principle, but is devoid of the nutriment commonly 
supposed to be dissolved by it. Soups and beef-tea 
are stimulating in their effect." 

One of our army surgeons prepared a receipt which 
was issued for the use of the army by a Circular 
Order. The receipt is as follows : 

Beef Extract (see next receipt) 

Put a third of a pound of fresh beef, finely minced, 
in fourteen ounces of cold, soft water, to which four 
or five drops of muriatic acid and a little salt (from 
ten to eighteen grains) have been added. 

After digesting for an hour to an hour and a quar- 
ter, strain it through a sieve, and wash the residue with 
five ounces of cold water, pressing it, to remove all 
soluble matter. The liquor will contain the whole of 
the soluble constituents of the meat (albumen, crea- 
tine, etc.), and it may be drunk cold or slightly 
warmed. The temperature should not be raised above 
100° Fahr., as at the temperature of 113° Fahr. a con- 
siderable portion of the albumen, a very important 
constituent, will become coagulated. 

Liebig's Receipt foe Beef-tea 

is nearly the same — viz. : Ingredients : Half a pound 
of finely minced raw beef (chicken or any meat may 
be similarly used), one pint of pure water, four drops 
of muriatic acid, about one-half a saltspoonful of salt. 
Dilute the acid and salt in three -fourths of a pint 
of the water, then mix well with the meat. Let it 
stand an hour ; strain through a hair sieve, and rinse 
the residue with the extra quarter of a pint of water. 
It may be administered in a red wineglass if the 
patient should become prejudiced against it on account 
of its red color. 

130 



RECEIPTS FOR SICK AND CONVALESCENT 

Baron Liebig acids : " The liquid thus obtained con- 
tains the juice of the meat with the albumen in an un- 
coagulated state, and syntonin, or muscle fibrin, which 
has been dissolved by the agency of the acid.'' 

It seems strange that Baron Liebig, with so much 
knowledge of the subject, should haVe made his " beef 
extract"* so deficient in nutrient qualities as to be 
condemned by many eminent physicians. Dr. Dobell 
says : " It is important to bear in mind that Liebig' s 
extract of meat and other similar preparations contain 
very little if any nourishment, properly so called. . . . 
Their principal virtues belong to the class of stimu- 
lants. . . . When mixed with water they are excel- 
lent menstrua in which to administer nutritive ma- 
terials, such as eggs, oatmeal, etc. ; but without such 
additions they are incapable of sustaining life for any 
length of time. Unless these facts are borne in mind 
a patient may easily be starved unintentionally." 

Dobell further says: "Valentine's meat juice is a 
most useful nutrient for the sick-room. It contains 
albumen in solution, and hence must not be made hot. 
A teaspoonful in a wineglassful of water or wine is a 
refreshing change from the usual list of warm foods, 
and is very convenient for sudden use in the sick- 



room." 



The Valentine extract will become acid and spoiled 
if kept too long. 

Beef Juice 

Choose a thick slice of fresh, juicy beef without fat. 
A steak cut from the round (leg) contains the most 
juice. Broil it for only a minute, or long enough to 
merely heat it throughout ; cut it in many places, and 

* Another preparation largely sold in market. 
131 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

press out all the juice (with the aid of a beef-juice 
press or a lemon-squeezer) into a warm bowl. The 
bowl may be placed in a basin of hot water to keep 
warm. If no meat-squeezer is at hand, the meat may 
be pressed between two hot saucers, or with a strong 
hand. Be careful to salt the juice very slightly. Re- 
move the globules of fat. It may be served by the 
teaspoonful as ordinary beef-tea, or, if solid food can 
be taken, the juice may be poured on some dry, fresh- 
made toast. 

Beef-tea for Travelling 

Chop two pounds of fresh, juicy beef, cut from the 
round, very fine ; place it in a bowl, with one ounce 
of gelatin and a pint of cold water, and let it soak 
for two hours, occasionally squeezing the juice from 
the meat-pulp with the hand. At the end of the two 
hours pass all the juice through a fine sieve, again 
squeezing all the juice possible from the meat -pulp. 
Season it judiciously with salt and a little pepper. 
Bring this juice merely to the boiling-point, and pour 
it into an hermetically sealed glass jar (previously 
heated in hot water), and seal it immediately. 

When wanted for use dissolve two or three tea- 
spoonfuls of the jelly in half a cupful of boiling water, 
and give it to the patient hot. 

Beef-tea may be obtained in tabloids, and also in 
capsules, which are preferable; but these should be 
kept on ice in hot weather. 

A Beef-tea for Convalescents 

Soak three-quarters of a pound of small-cut pieces 
of fresh, bright-red, lean steak (cut from the round) 
in a pint of cold rain-water for an hour, squeezing the 
beef occasionallv with the hand, then place it (beef 

132 



RECEIPTS FOR SICK AND CONVALESCENT 

and water) on the fire. Let it come slowly to a boil, 
and then let it simmer for ten minutes. Pour off the 
tea and remove the fat ; salt it slightly, and, if allow- 
able, add the slightest bit of red pepper; add also a 
spoonful of fresh and well - cooked rice, barley, oat- 
meal, or dried and toasted dice of bread, or wafer 
crackers, or a poached egg. Serve while still freshly 
made and hot. 

To Make Bread Dice, or Croutons 

Cut stale bread into dice about half an inch square, 
and put them in the open oven, or where they will 
become thoroughly dry ; then toast them over the 
fire, or brown them in a hot oven, to a nice yellow 
color on all sides ; place them in a dish at one side of 
the range, that they may remain warm until the mo- 
ment of serving. By keeping them warm they will 
continue crisp until put into the beef -tea. These 
bread dice are nice in any soup. Bread dice for soups 
are generally fried to a light brown in a little butter, 
but these are not recommended for an invalid. 

Or slices of bread may be cut with little fancy- 
shaped cutters into pretty figures before drying and 
toasting, and then they may be dignified with the 
name of croutons. For convalescents it would not be 
amiss to butter the dice or croutons slightly on one 
side. 

Chicken Broth 

Cut up half a chicken (one and a half pounds) in 
rather small pieces, and break the bones. Do not 
wash it if you would save the whole juice. Put it in 
the cleanest of saucepans with three pints of clear, 
cold water and a table -spoonful of rice. Bring it 
slowly to a boil and let it simmer for two hours, 

133 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

closely covered. Half an hour before it is done throw 
in a little sprig of parsley. When done, pass the 
broth through a sieve into a hot bowl, pressing the 
rice through with a spoon. Let it stand a moment, 
and then skim off the fat. Salt it with care, also add 
a few specks of red pepper. The writer hardly dares 
mention the red pepper, as the broth is good enough 
without it, and, if any is used, a cook is sure to put in 
too much. Instead of rice, granulated barley or wheat- 
may be used for a thickening. 

The broth may be served with some dainty crackers, 
or wafers (p. 159), on a separate dish, to be broken 
into the broth when served, or the rice may be boiled 
separately and a table spoonful of the whole grains 
added after the broth is in the bowl. 

Mutton Broth 

Cut up two pounds of the scrag end of the neck of 
mutton and place it in the soup-kettle with two quarts 
of cold water. Bring it slowly to a boil, and then 
place it on the range to simmer for two hours. Pass 
it through a sieve ; season it carefully with salt and 
the smallest possible quantity of pepper (red pepper is 
always preferable if used carefully). If wanted im- 
mediately skim oh the fat. It is better to set it away, 
allowing the fat to harden on top, when it can be easily 
removed. When needed, heat it to the boiling-point ; 
pour just enough in a thin soup-bowl and add a table- 
spoonful of fresh, well-cooked rice. 

The pearled barley of the Health-food Company is 
a valuable thickening for mutton broth. Half to 
three-quarters of an hour before the broth is done a 
table-spoonful (two ounces) of the barley may be add- 
ed to the soup. When the soup is strained the barley 
grains may carefully be taken out with a spoon and 

134 



RECEIPTS FOR SICK AND CONVALESCENT 

returned afterwards, or the barley may be cooked in 
other water. For a change, bread dice, or croutons, as 
explained on p. 133, may be added to the broth. 

Clear Beef Broth with Tapioca or Sago 

Take four pounds of lean beef and bone (two pounds 
each); cut up the meat and break the bone; cover it 
with three quarts of clear, cold water ; bring it slowly 
to a boil, and let it simmer for four hours. The last 
hour add a sprig of parsley, two or three slices of 
onion (previously browned in a platter with a little 
butter), and a slice of carrot. "When done, pour the 
broth through the sieve. There should be about a 
pint and a half of broth remaining. Kemove the par- 
ticles of fat. Return this strained broth to a perfect- 
ly clean kettle; add the white of an egg (beaten to a 
thin froth) and stir it well into the broth for the pur- 
pose of clearing it ; bring it all to a good boil, then 
place the kettle one side for a few minutes. Pass the 
broth through the jelly bag. If the first dripping is 
not quite clear, return it to the bag. Season the broth 
carefully with salt and red pepper, remembering that 
it only takes the slightest quantity of the latter; add 
also a table-spoonful of either tapioca or sago, pre- 
pared as follows : Soak two teaspoonf uls of sago or 
tapioca for an hour in clear, cold water, then pour off 
the water and stir it into a pint of boiling water. Let 
it boil slowly for half an hour, pour off the water and 
let it steam a moment, and it is read} 7 to be added to 
the broth. 

Or the broth may be made one day and, when 
strained, set aside until the next day. The. hardened 
fat at the top and the settlings at the bottom of the 
jelly may be easily removed. This broth will be tol- 
erably clear, though not so much so as when cleared 

135 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

with the white of an egg. Sometimes a slice of lemon 
(without seeds) is thrown in the soup-bowl. just as the 
broth is about to be served. 

Beef Broth with a Poached Egg 

Make the broth as in the preceding receipt, and, in- 
stead of tapioca, add to the bowl w r hen ready to serve 
a well-trimmed and carefully poached egg. 

SOUPS 

It is perhaps a little troublesome to make the cream 
soups, as the material has to be passed through the 
sieve. They are exceedingly delicate and nourishing, 
however, and help to furnish a pleasant variety in a 
limited repertoire of dishes. The farina cream is es- 
pecially simple. The cream of oysters is particularly 
good. The writer first saw it at Delmonico's, and 
wondered what the ingredients could be, admiring 
more than ever the consummate skill of his cooks. 

The special enigma was, how the soup could be so 
light, as if raised with baking-powder. In learning how 
to make these soups afterwards, from a most able chef 
(Louis Cuppinger), it was a matter of surprise and satis- 
faction to find the oyster cream so simply made, con- 
taining only the ingredients of a common oyster soup. 

The potato cream {Puree Alexandra) is delicious, 
and can be made without stock. Stock, in itself, con- 
tains some nutrition, and enough might well be made 
at once in winter to supply an invalid for a week. 

The asparagus cream soup is also especially good. 

For the oyster and chicken cream soups a small pestle 
and mortar (inexpensive) were considered by the chef 
indispensable for pounding the meat before passing it 
through the sieve. It is possible that after the meat is 

136 



RECEIPTS FOR SICK AND CONVALESCENT 

chopped very fine some other means may be suggested 
for pounding the meat, if the pestle and mortar are 
not at hand. 

A bowl of cream soup, with a couple of wafer crack- 
ers or a slice of Graham bread, might at times well con- 
stitute a sufficient meal for an invalid. 

Cream of Oysters 

Put a quart of oysters with their liquor in a porce- 
lain kettle or a thoroughly clean saucepan over a fire. 
When the oysters are just about to boil, pour them 
into a colander (over a bowl), leaving the oysters in 
the colander. Chop the oysters as line as possible, 
and pound them well in a mortar or thick bowl. 
NTow make a roux — i.e., put in a saucepan a piece of 
butter the size of a small egg^ and, when it bubbles, 
throw in a generous table-spoonful of flour (one and a 
half ounces) ; stir it well with the egg whisk, to cook 
the flour without allowing it to color ; now pour in the 
oyster liquor, and when well mixed over the fire add 
the pounded oyster pulp and a pint of good cream. 
Pass this all through a sieve ; season it carefully with 
salt and cayenne pepper; return it. to the fire to heat 
without allowing it to boil, and, just as it is about to 
be served, add half a cupful of fresh cream, and a piece 
of butter the size of a small pigeon's egg. Whisk it 
well with the egg-beater (keeping it hot, without boil- 
ing, over the fire) for a minute ; pour into a warm 
tureen, and serve immediatelv. 

The chef sprinkled over the top some coarse, dry 
bread crumbs fried in a little butter. This addition is 
generally made to all the cream soups. Sometimes little 
fancy cuts of toast, cut with tin cutters, of diamond 
shape, are sprinkled over the top of the soup in the tu- 
reen, instead of the fried bread crumbs. For robust 

137 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

people little drops of fried fritter batter, looking like 
cooked beans, are sometimes sprinkled over the top of 
vegetable cream soups. 

Ceeam of Rice or Farina or Barley 

Put either a half-cupful of rice or three-fourths of a 
cupful of farina or barley into a quart of boiling clear 
stock, and let it cook until the grain is quite soft (about 
half an hour) ; then press it through the sieve, add 
two »r three table-spoonfuls or more of good cream, and 
season carefully with red pepper and salt. Heat it 
again, and, just before serving, whip the soup in the 
tureen with the egg whisk. 



Cream of Chicken 

When chicken is boiled for the family dinner (a 
sprig of parsley and a slice of onion being put into the 
kettle), a breast and some soft pieces of the chicken may 
be appropriated for the invalid. It should be chopped 
as line as possible, then pounded in a mortar, if one has 
it ; and, if not, in a chopping-bowl. It is then moist- 
ened with a little of the chicken broth, and pressed 
through a wire sieve. To a generous half-cupful of this 
fine chicken pulp add about one cupful and a half of the 
chicken broth, free from fat. Thicken with a roux — 
i.e., in a little saucepan place a piece of butter the size 
of a hickory nut, and, when it bubbles, throw in a tea- 
spoonful of flour ; let it cook without coloring ; then 
add the chicken pulp and broth (mixed) ; stir well, and, 
when about to simmer, add a couple of table-spoonfuls 
of good cream, and a teaspoonful of parsley, chopped 
very, very line. Season also with red pepper and salt. 
Whisk it with the egg-beater, before serving, keeping 
it hot, though not allowing it to boil. 

138 



RECEIPTS FOR SICK AND CONVALESCENT 

Cream of Asparagus 

This is one of the best of the cream soups. The re- 
ceipt is given for two and one-third quarts of soup, 
yet, of course, a half or a third of the quantity may be 
made for the invalid, if more is not needed. 

Ingredients : Two quarts of stock ; about thirty 
stalks of asparagus ; one half-cupful of good cream ; 
two table- spoonfuls of flour; butter the size of a pig- 
eon's egg. 

Boil the asparagus in the stock ; cut and save some 
of the points, to serve in the soup ; the remainder 
press through a sieve. Make a roux by putting the 
butter in a saucepan, and, when it bubbles, throwing 
in the flour, Avhich cook a minute without coloring, 
stirring it well with an egg whisk. Now pour in the 
stock and the asparagus pulp, gradually at first; let 
it boil a minute, then add the cream, which heat, but 
do not let boil, for fear of curdling. Season to taste 
with salt and pepper. When the soup is in the tureen, 
ready to serve, sprinkle the asparagus points on top. 

A Simple Asparagus Soup (Dr. Comstock's Soup) 

Fifteen or more stalks of asparagus are boiled in a 
quart of milk, and the whole (excepting some of the 
points) is passed through a sieve. It is then thickened 
with a roux, as in the preceding receipt, with a piece of 
butter the size of a walnut and a heaping teaspoonful 
of flour. A few table-spoonfuls of good cream may 
then be added, or the soup is very good without it, if 
it is not at hand. It is then seasoned to taste with 
salt and pepper, and served with the asparagus points 
sprinkled over the top. 

139 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 



Cream of Potatoes {Puree Alexandra) 

Boil in water five medium-sized potatoes until they 
are nearly done ; then pour off the water and add a 
scant two quarts of clear stock, made with either veal 
or beef. When the potatoes are thoroughly cooked, 
pass them, with the stock, through a wire sieve ; then 
add the beaten yolks of two eggs and half a cup- 
ful of good, thick cream ; season carefully with salt 
and cayenne pepper. Stir it for a minute over the 
fire, to cook the eggs slightly, without allowing the 
soup to boil ; then keep it at the side of the range (it 
is better kept in a double kettle or tain- marie) until 
ready to serve. 

At the same time that the soup is being made, pre- 
pare some vegetables for a garnish, as follows : Gut a 
medium-sized turnip (two ounces) into little dice, as 
follows — cut the turnip into slices about a quarter of 
an inch thick, without allowing the knife to cut quite 
through, so that the slices will hold together ; then 
slice them transversely in the same manner. Now, 
holding the turnip firmly together, cut off the ends 
into little dice about a quarter of an inch square. In 
the same manner cut a carrot (two ounces) into little 
dice ; provide also a table-spoonful or more of peas 
and some string-beans cut into quarter-inch lengths. 

All or a part of these vegetables may be used as 
convenient ; the carrots and pease, however, are desira- 
ble for their fine color and flavor. Boil the vegetables 
separately, in little cups of salted boiling water ; drain, 
and place them in the soup tureen. Just before serv- 
ing, place the soup over the fire without allowing it 
to boil, and whip it vigorously with an egg whisk for 
one or two minutes ; then add the vegetables and 

serve immediately. 

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RECEIPTS FOR SICK AND CONVALESCENT 

Or the soup may be made without stock, boiling the 
potatoes in water, and adding more cream and a piece 
of butter the size of a small egg. 

Cream of String-beans 

Throw a quart of green string- beans in boiling 
water, in which there is half a table-spoonful of soda 
or as much carbonate of ammonia as will lie on the 
point of a knife, to preserve the color ; drain the beans 
and pass them through a sieve (not colander, but sieve). 
There will be about a pint of pulp. Make a roux by 
placing in a saucepan butter the size of a pigeon's 
egg, and, when it bubbles, throwing two large, heap- 
ing table - spoonfuls of flour (two generous ounces); 
let it cook without taking color; then pour in a quart 
of clear stock (see p. 142; and the pint of string-bean 
pulp. Stir it well with the egg whisk, letting it cook 
a few minutes without boiling. It will be liable to 
curdle if boiled. Just before serving pour in nearly a 
cupful of good, thick cream ; season with salt and 
cayenne pepper. Whip it well with an egg whisk 
over the fire and serve immediately. 

At Delmonico's they serve, sprinkled over the soup 
in the tureen, imitation navy-beans, made by dropping 
drops of fritter batter in hot lard. These are crisp 
and savory, but a fritter of any kind should never be 
mentioned in an invalid's book. 

Cream of Corn (No. 1) 

To a pint of grated corn (the sweet part, nearest 
the cob, well scraped) add a quart of hot water. Boil 
it for an hour and press it through the sieve. Put 
into a saucepan butter the size of a small egg. and, 
when it bubbles, sprinkle in a heaping table-spoonful 
of sifted flour, which cook a minute without coloring, 

141 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

stirring well. Now add half of the corn pulp, and 
when smoothly mixed stir in the remainder of the 
corn ; add a little cayenne pepper, salt, a scant pint of 
boiling milk, and a cupful of cream. Before serving, 
stir well with an egg whisk, to make it light. 

Or an addition to the soup of the yolks of two 
eggs, and the soup stirred a minute over the fire, al- 
though not allowed to boil, is good. 

Or a spoonful of chopped parsley may be added. 

Cream of Corn (No. 2) 

This is the chefs receipt. Place over the fire a pint 
of grated corn, with a piece of butter the size of a wal- 
nut ; let it cook only a minute, then pour in a quart of 
veal stock, and boil it an hour, pass it then through the 
sieve ; add about three table-spoonfuls of cream ; beat 
it a^ain, and as it is about to be served stir it well 
with an egg whisk. 

Stock for Soup 

A good stock may be made by simply putting fresh 
lean beef or veal, with some bone, into clear, cold 
water (a gallon of water to three pounds of meat and 
bone), and letting it simmer for five hours, passing it 
through the sieve, and seasoning it carefully with pep- 
per and salt. It is better to make the stock the day 
before it is wanted, as then every particle of fat will 
rise to the top and form in a hard cake, which may be 
removed at once, and the settlings may be avoided 
at the bottom, leaving a clear soup. There should 
never be a particle of fat left in a soup. 

The flavor of the soup is much improved by the ad- 
dition of chicken. Occasion might be taken, at the 
time of making beef or veal stock, to have a boiled 
chicken for dinner, boiling it in the stock-pot. The 

142 



RECEIPTS FOR SICK AND CONVALESCENT 

flavor is also much improved by the addition of vege- 
tables thrown in an hour before the stock is done. 
Four or live slices of onion, first fried {sauted) or col- 
ored in a little dripping on a platter before adding to 
the soup ; also, the same quantity of sliced carrot, 
two good sprigs of parsley, and, if convenient, a stick 
of celery or a teaspoon ful of celery-seeds, and a couple 
of cloves stuck in the onion. All contribute to the 
quality of the soup. 

In winter enough stock should be made to last a 
week, as it will keep that time, and longer, in a cold 
place. Each day a portion of the stock jelly may be 
reheated, and, with different accompaniments, the in- 
valid may have many changes. For instance, the ad- 
dition of a few spoonfuls of cooked macaroni will make 
a good macaroni soup. A spoonful of cooked peas 
and other vegetables, in fancy shapes, will make a 
spring soup (or Julienne) ; a few spoonfuls of cooked 
tomatoes a tomato soup ; toasted bread sippets, in fan- 
ciful shapes, a potage aux croutons. The stock, added 
to the cream soups, furnishes a dish for the most fas- 
tidious epicure, aud a nutritious repast for the invalid. 

In selecting the meat for soups cheap cuts from the 
leg and shoulder of beef are generally used. Ox-tails 
make good soup. Knuckles of veal, calves' heads, and 
tough chickens play a satisfactory role in stock. 

Gouffe's receipt for stock shows the distribution of 
vegetables as follows : 

Gouffe's Receipt for Stock or Bouillon 

Three pounds of beef; one pound of bone (about 
the quantity in that weight of meat) ; five and a half 
quarts of clear, cold water ; two ounces of salt ; two 
carrots, say ten ounces ; two large onions, say ten 
ounces, with two cloves stuck in them ; six leeks, sav 

143 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

fourteen ounces ; one head of celery, say one ounce ; 
two turnips, say ten ounces; one parsnip, say two 
ounces. 

Oyster Soup 

To one quart, or twenty -five oysters, add half a 
pint of water. Put the oysters on the fire in their 
liquor. The moment it begins to simmer (not boil, 
for that would shrivel the oysters) pour it through a 
colajader into a dish, leaving the oysters in the colan- 
der. "Now put into the saucepan two ounces of butter 
(size of an egg) ; when it bubbles, sprinkle in a heap- 
ing table-spoonful (one ounce) of sifted flour ; let the 
roux cook a few moments, without coloring ; stirring 
it well with the egg whisk, add to it gradually the 
oyster juice and half a pint or a cupful of good cream 
(which has been brought to a boil in another vessel) ; 
season carefully with cayenne pepper and salt. Skim 
well, then add the oysters. Let it get hot without 
boiling, and serve immediately. 

Clam Broth 

This broth is much used of late years for invalids. 
Indeed, in New York it seems to be as regular a 
sick-room dish as beef-tea. It may often be retained 
on the stomach when other foods disagree with the 
patient, and is a valuable substitute for milk, when the 
latter proves unsatisfactory. It is stimulating and nu- 
tritious. It may be administered by the spoonful, like 
beef-tea, in cases of severe illness, or may be taken by 
the cupful, when, with a Graham cracker, it. affords a 
sufficient repast. 

For half a pint (a cupful) use six large hard-shelled 
clams. Wash them well with a brush, and place 
them in a kettle with two or three table-spoonfuls of 
water over the fire. 

144 



I 



RECEIPTS FOR SICK AND CONVALESCENT 

The clam broth is simply the juice of the clams 
boiled for a minute. It does not require seasoning, as 
clam juice is salt enough ; indeed, it has sometimes to 
be diluted with a little hot water to reduce the salt 
flavor. In pouring the juice from the kettle, avoid 
any particles of sand which may have settled at the 
bottom. 

As soon as the clams are opened in the kettle they 
are sufficiently cooked ; further cooking renders them 
tough. If 

Clam Soup 

is to be made, remove the clams from the shells as 
soon as they are open, cut off the tough parts, and 
place them one side in a warm place until the juice is 
prepared. Add about a cupful of hot milk to the 
juice, and thicken it with a roux or a little flour. 
Now add the soft parts of the clams ; bring the soup 
again to the boiling-point and serve. 

Placing the live clams over the fire is a very cruel 
way to open them. Men-cooks and fishermen open 
them with a knife, half a dozen in the course of half a 
minute. 

Oyster Broth 

may be made in the same way as clam broth. Or 
the liquor of the oysters may be used alone, carefully 
strained, adding to each pint a cup of milk, and thick- 
ening with a roux of butter and flour. Strain again, 
and add a little salt, and, if desired, pepper. 

Flour Soup 

Put butter, the size of a large hickory nut, into a lit- 
tle saucepan, and, when it bubbles, throw in a heaping 
table-spoonful of flour (a generous ounce). Stir it well 
with the egg whisk, allowing it to color evenly to a 
k 145 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

light brown. Take care that it does not burn. New 
gradually pour in a pint of warm milk, stirring it well 
with the egg whisk. There should be no lumps. Let 
it cook for a minute only, then take it from the fire 
and add the beaten yolk of an egg. Return it to the 
fire for a few moments to set the egg, stirring well, 
and not allowing it to boil, as the egg would then 
curdle. Season with salt, a suspicion of red pepper, 
and a half-teaspoonful of parsley chopped very fine. 
French cooks often add the same quantity of chopped 
cives, but the latter is not recommended for an invalid. 

It may be served with or without little toasts of 
bread cut in thin slices and fanciful shapes before 
toasting. 

The French and Germans often flavor soupe d la 
farine with a little sugar and cinnamon instead of 
salt, pepper, and parsley or cives. 

Vegetable Cream Soup 

All vegetable cream soups (not specified) may be 
made as follows : The vegetables are boiled until soft 
and passed through a sieve. To a quart of Btock — 
or, if this is not allowed, a rather less quantity of 
water — is added a roux, composed of a teaspoonful of 
flour and half the quantity of butter cooked together, 
mixed until smooth with a little of the stock or water. 
Add also a cup of milk, or half a cup or more of 
cream. These are brought to a boil with the vege- 
table pulp, strained, beaten with an egg whisk while 
very hot, and served immediately. 

Vegetable Soup 

Vegetable soups without milk or cream are apt to 
be insipid, but their flavor may be improved by the 
use of celerv, celery-seed, tomatoes, etc. A receipt is 

146 



RECEIPTS FOR SICK AND CONVALESCENT 

given which may be varied by the use of additional 
vegetables. 

Slice one carrot, one turnip, one head celery, one 
onion, and fry with one-quarter pound of butter until 
brown. Put into a pot with a bunch of sweet herbs, 
some salt and black pepper, and three pints of water. 
Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for two or three 
hours, until reduced to one quart. Strain and let 
stand until needed. Then pour off the clear liquor 
and add corn-starch, pearled barley, tapioca, or rice. 

Barley Soup 

Cook four table-spoonfuls of barley in a pint of 
water until the grains swell. Add butter the size of 
a walnut, chopped parsley, and a little nutmeg. This 
soup is beneficial in cases of dyspepsia. 

Veal Soup 

Boil a knuckle of veal slowly for three hours. Let 
it cool; skim and strain. Add butter the size of a 
walnut, a cupful of cooked rice, four sprigs of cauli- 
flower, and a dozen stalks of asparagus. Boil for an 
hour and strain again. Just before serving add the 
beaten yolks of two eggs and some sprigs of parsley. 

Chicken -bone Soup 

Break up and boil the bones of a chicken (with or 
without scraps of the chicken meat), with three toma- 
toes, a dozen stalks of asparagus, and a handful or 
more of green peas, for three hours. Strain. Soak 
half a cupful of sago, add to soup, and cook for one 
hour. Beat the yolks of two eggs and stir into soup 
until it thickens, but remove from the fire before it 
comes to a boil. 

147 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

German Milk-soup 

The author gives one receipt, as follows, for a Ger- 
man milk-soup, which is very nourishing. It is some- 
thing like American soft custard, but is not so sweet : 

Bring one quart of milk and one quart of water 
to a boil ; then add a table - spoonful of corn - starch 
(mixed with milk), sugar to taste, half a teaspoonful 
of salt, and two ounces lemon -peel. Bring again to 
a boil, and stir in the beaten yolks of two eggs until 
it thickens; but do not let it boil again. Beat the 
whites of the eggs stiff with a little cinnamon, mould 
in a teaspoon, and put on top of soup just before 
serving. 

Chestnut Soup 

Boil a quart of Spanish chestnuts. Remove shells, 
throw nuts into cold water, and remove skin. 

Pat aside twelve whole ones, and place the rest in a 
saucepan with a quart of water, two ounces of fat 
pork, a saltspoonful of salt, and a little pepper. Cook 
slowly for an hour and a half. Take out the pork, 
pass the soup through a sieve, and return to the fire. 
Cook until soup becomes rather thick. Stir in from 
one to two ounces of butter, and add the whole chest- 
nuts just before serving. 



FOODS 
BREADS AND GRAIN PREPARATIONS 

Bread 

Bread of whole flour contains, in the correct pro- 
portions, all the elements necessary for growth in the 
bones, teeth, muscles, nerves, and brain. It should be 
freely used therefore in youth, but more sparingly in 
middle life and old age. 

It is very important to have wholesome, sweet, and 
well-made bread, especially for an invalid. The new- 
process flours (see p. 58) are valuable for making nu- 
tritious white bread. 

As for yeast, Fleischman's yeast ensures always 
sweet bread. Brewer's yeast can also be relied upon. 
A gill of this yeast to three and a half pounds of flour 
is the proper proportion. In the country the home- 
made yeast is generally used. This is unreliable unless 
made by an expert. 

The fermentation of yeast is peculiarly favorable to 
the development of germs ; and for this reason bread 
made without yeast or baking-powder is recommend- 
ed by many authorities. Nevertheless, the fermenta- 
tion of yeast aids, or is in line with, the processes of 
digestion, through the transformation of the starchy and 
albuminous substances and the other chemical changes 
which it effects. Baking-powder does not produce 
these changes, and it is perhaps for this reason that it 

149 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

is less wholesome, even when chemically pure. It is 
ostensibly composed of bicarbonate of soda and tar- 
taric acid, whose union produces tartrate of soda (a 
substance believed to be harmless) and carbonic-acid 
gas, which mechanically lightens the bread. It is 
diffused through the dough and held in the form of 
bubbles by the tenacious gluten of the flour, which is 
hardened by baking. 

Tartaric acid is, however, comparatively expensive, 
and this fact has brought about the use in baking- 
powder of alum with bicarbonate of soda. The chemi- 
cal compound thus formed is distinctly injurious, and 
is believed to be largely the cause of the dyspepsia 
from which so many Americans suffer. 

" All authorities are agreed," says Dr. Henry A. 
Mott, Jr., " that the continuous use of alum bread 
will produce headache, indigestion, flatulence, consti- 
pation, diarrhea, dysentery, palpitation, and urinary 
calculus. . . . The fatal diarrhea of infants under 
three years of age may also have arisen from or been 
aggravated by this cause." 

Cooks have become so accustomed to the use of 
baking-powder that in many households it cannot 
be entirely dispensed with ; and, for this reason, the 
writer has used it in a few of the following receipts. 

Bread 

It is difficult to give an exact receipt for making 
bread, as so many circumstances have to be considered 
— the quality of the flour, the temperature, the hu- 
midity of the atmosphere, etc. ; and, even when prop- 
erly made, the bread may be spoiled in the baking, 
which requires judgment and experience. 

Flour is very sensitive to dampness, and should be 
kept in a dry place. If used in a damp climate, or 

150 



FOODS 

after long-continued rain, it is well to sift it, several 
hours before using, and to put it, when sifted, in a 
warm — not hot — place, not far from the range. 

Put two quarts of flour with a little salt into the 
bread-bowl, which should be larger at the top than at 
the bottom. Add one and a half cupfuls of liquid 
yeast, or from half to three - quarters of a cake of 
Fleischman's compressed yeast, according to the sea- 
son. More is required in winter than in summer. If 
compressed yeast is used, dissolve it in milk, and 
add about a dessert -spoonful of sugar. It should be 
remembered that the object in bread-making is to delay 
the fermentation in warm and to accelerate it in cold 
weather. Add to the flour and veast enough water to 
make a rather soft dough. The quantity varies with 
the state of the atmosphere and the quality of the 
flour. The water should be cold in summer, warm 
in winter, and lukewarm in spring and autumn. 

Set the dough to rise. It will take from three 
hours in summer to ten hours in very cold weather. 
When risen, mix in well a table -spoonful of lard. 
Then add about two handfuls of flour — not too much 
— and knead for half an hour. The more it is worked 
the finer and whiter the bread will be. Put it in the 
bread-bowl to rise again, and, when risen, form into 
loaves, which are to be left to rise a third time before 
baking. Do not make the loaves too large. Bread 
should be put in a rather hot oven, which should cool 
gradually. When baked, allow the loaves to cool be- 
fore placing them in the bread-box. 

Graham-bread (Quogue Receipt) 
A good Graham-bread can be made by preparing 
the sponge with white flour and mixing afterwards 
with the Graham flour. 

151 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Ingredients : One cupful light bread sponge (in the 
morning) ; one cupful lukewarm water ; one large 
table-spoonful molasses ; one large spoonful of lard or 
nice dripping ; a small half -teaspoonful soda ; Graham 
flour ; a little salt. 

Dissolve the soda in the water and pour it and the 
molasses, lard (soft), and salt into the sponge. Mix it 
together; then stir in as much Graham flour as you 
conveniently can with a spoon, making a stiff batter. 
Put immediately into a rectangular pan (buttered) 
about ten inches long, six inches wide, and four inches 
high. Set it in a warm place, and, when well raised (or 
when the pan is even full), bake it immediately for an 
hour. 

Graham-bread (Health-food Company) 

Ingredients : One cupful bread sponge ; one-half cup- 
ful warm water ; two cupf uls Graham flour, or, as the 
Health-food Company calls it, granulated wheat ; one 
cupful corn- meal, or, without the Indian meal, three 
cupfuls of granulated wheat ; lard the size of an egg ; 
one -half teaspoonful salt; one table - spoonful sugar. 
The ingredients are mixed together as directed in the 
preceding receipt. 

Waffles (Southern Eeceipt) 
Melt two ounces of butter ; add it to one pint of 
milk, a saltspoonful of salt, and three beaten eggs. 
Stir in flour enough to make a smooth batter. Add 
one gill liquid yeast, or half a cake of compressed yeast. 
When the latter is used add a desert-spoonful of sugar. 
Set to rise, and bake in slightly buttered waffle-irons. 

Muffins (Southern Receipt) 

One quart of flour (under weight) ; one pint milk ; 
a saltspoonful of salt ; three eggs ; two ounces butter ; 

152 



FOODS 

and a gill of liquid yeast, or half a cake of compressed 
yeast, with a dessert-spoonful of sugar. Set to rise, 
and bake in buttered rings. 

Boston Brown Bread 

Ingredients: Two cupfuls (one pint) milk; two 
cupfuls corn-meal; one cupful rye, or, if more con- 
venient, Graham flour; a scant half -cupful New 
Orleans molasses ; one scant teaspoonf ul soda ; one 
teaspoonful salt. Steam four hours; bake twenty 
minutes. 

Mix the corn-meal, rye flour, and salt well together ; 
dissolve the soda eventy, first with a little of the milk, 
then with the whole pint. Make a little well in the 
flour, into which pour the molasses, then the mixed 
milk and soda. Stir all well together free from lumps, 
and pour it quickly into a double kettle (see p. 99), 
buttered, in which the water is already boiling. Boil 
it four hours, never allowing the water to stop boiling ; 
then take out the bread and bake it for twenty min- 
utes in the oven. 

If no double kettle be at hand, pour the bread paste 
into a long tin pail, cover, and set in an iron pot of 
boiling water, the water reaching about three-fourths 
to the top of the pail. Cover also the iron pot, con- 
fining the steam as much as possible. As the water 
boils down replenish it with boiling water. 

A slice of Boston Brown Bread covered with cream 
makes a good breakfast for an invalid. A little sugar 
may or may not be sprinkled over it. 

Toast 

Cooks generally show great carelessness and igno- 
rance in making toast. The bread slices are generally 

153 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

cut too thick, the crust is not taken off, and in the 
hurry of preparation the slices are unevenly colored, 
and the centre is often a mass of hot dough. Instead 
of a most digestible article of diet, as it should be if 
properly made, it becomes the most unwholesome of 
breads. When well made, toast is more digestible than 
bread, since the additional heat in preparing it dries 
it, and the charred surface acts as a germ-destroyer. 

The slices should be cut quite thin and even, the 
shapes made regular by cutting off the crust and un- 
even sides. The scraps of bread left may be dried 
and saved in a can, for bread-crumbing — i.e r , they are 
not to be wasted. The slices may be placed on a tin 
platter and dried for a little time in the open oven, 
or at the top of the range, when they will toast very 
quickly. The operation is not so quick without this 
drying process, for then the slices must be placed in 
the toaster and simply turned from one side to the 
other without coloring until the bread is thoroughly 
dried through ; then it should receive a deep yellow 
color quite even and artistic. If allowed to color at 
first it will be difficult to dry the interior. 

If the toast is to be served dry, it should be placed 
immediately on a warm plate ; indeed, the bread should 
not be toasted until the person for whom it is intended 
is ready to eat it. If the toast is made to serve with 
a poached egg, a bird, or a vegetable, a little boiling 
water should be poured in the bottom of the plate to 
partly soften the toast. It should be buttered, and 
salted slightly, also, as soon as cooked. A prettier 
way of serving toast is in the form of 

Sippets 

Cut thin slices of bread into parallelogram strips ; 
toast them carefully and evenly, without breaking, 

154 




FOODS 

until they are crisp and golden. Serve them on a hot 
plate as soon as they come from the fire, arranged as 
in cut, and slightly but- 
tered, if there be no ob- 
jection. 

Bread sippets are some- 
times served to an inva- 
lid with the juice from 

roast beef or mutton poured over them. For this the 
bread slices need not always be toasted. 

Water Toast 
Have an artistic piece of toast made as described 
in the receipt for toast, and, while still hot, spread a 
little butter evenly over the top, also a slight sprink- 
ling of salt ; pour over it three-fourths of a cupful of 
boiling water. Cover the dish with a saucer and 
place it in the oven for a few minutes to soak up the 
water ; then serve immediately. 

Cream Toast 

Toast the slice of bread as before explained ; place 
it on a hot plate ; pour on it boiling water, which 
drain off again in a few moments, allowing the bread 
to become partly soft ; spread over a little butter and 
sprinkle a little salt, then pour on it three or four 
table-spoonfuls of fresh, sweet cream. Let it remain 
in the hot oven two or three minutes to swell. 

Mock-cream Toast 

Read over the receipt for " Toast," and while two 
slices of bread are drying in the oven make the sauce 
as follows : Put in a little saucepan a cupful (one-half 
pint) of milk ; when it begins to boil stir in two even 
teaspoonfuls of flour, rubbed smooth with a table- 

155 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

spoonful of cold milk, also a pinch of salt ; let it boil 
a minute, allowing the flour to cook thoroughly ; now 
take it from the fire, add a piece of butter the size of 
a hickory-nut, and stir in the white of an egg beaten 
to a stiff froth ; return the saucepan to the fire for a 
moment to set the egg, without allowing the sauce to 
boil. Place the saucepan at the back of the range, 
while you carefully toast the two slices of bread ; dip 
them, when toasted, a moment in boiling water, then 
sprinkle over a little salt and the thinnest layer of 
butter ; pour over the sauce and serve immediately. 

Milk Toast 

Prepare the toast as described for " water toast," 
only, instead of water, pour over milk prepared as fol- 
lows : Bring a cupful of milk to a boil, then stir in an 
even teaspoonful of flour, rubbed smooth, with a 
table-spoonful of cold milk ; add also a pinch of salt. 
Let it boil a minute to cook the flour thoroughly, then 
take it from the fire, stir in butter the size of a hickory- 
nut ; pour it over the toast placed in a hot dish, set it 
in the oven for two or three minutes to soak, then serve 
immediately. 

Pulled Bread 

Break off irregular pieces of fresh bread about the 
size of an egg, and bake them in a slow oven until 
quite dry and slightly colored. 

Pieces of stale bread or cold biscuits split in two 
can be made as good as new by dipping them quickly 
in cold water and baking them in a hot oven until 
the surface is crisp and the interior is well heated 
through. 

Zwieback 

The German zwieback, which can be obtained of 
the bakers, is an excellent breakfast bread, to serve 

156 



FOODS 

with a hot beverage. It is composeecl merely of 
slices of rusk dried in a very slow oven to a delicate 
orange color. Yienna bread slices are prepared in the 
same way. 

The zwieback is subjected for a long time to a slow, 
even heat, which can be best obtained in a brick oven. 

(Scotch Toast 

This dish was well known in the days of our grand- 
mothers. Break up six soda-crackers in a bowl ; pour 
over them enough boiling water to make them swell 
and become soft but not wet. Cover and place them 
where they will keep hot for fifteen minutes, and, just 
before serving, stir in some bits of butter, a little salt, 
and a mere suspicion of cayenne pepper. 

Coffee Cake 

Ingredients : Two cupfuls of bread sponge ; one egg ; 
one-half cupful of sugar ; lard, the size of a hickory- 
nut ; one cupful of warm water. 

Mix these ingredients together and make a dough 
not quite as stiff as for bread. Let it rise well (about 
two hours or more) ; roll it out about an inch thick. 
It will spread over a large, square platter. Let it rise 
again until quite light (half an hour or more). Before 
placing it in the oven, spread over the top one egg 
(both white and yolk) beaten with a teaspoonful of su- 
gar, and again sprinkle over this about a teaspoonful 
of coarse, granulated sugar. 

Dixie Biscuits 

This delicious biscuit the writer has dared to recom- 
mend for convalescents for a change of bread, as it is 
to be eaten cold. Like the Yienna bread, made with 

157 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

the same yeast, it is better quite fresh - baked or as 
soon as cold. 

Ingredients : Three pints of sifted flour (one and a 
quarter pounds) ; one and a half coffee-cupfuls of milk 




(three-quarters of a pint) ; lard the size of an egg ; one 
egg ; one-third of a cake of Fleischman's compressed 
yeast ; one teaspoonful of salt ; a table-spoon even full 
of sugar. 

The measure of milk is a pint after the lard is added. 
Put this mixture (the milk and lard) over the fire, and 
just as it comes to a boil take it off and let it get luke- 
warm; in the mean time put the yeast- cake to dis- 
solve in a couple of table-spoonfuls of milk, and as soon 
as the yeast becomes soft rub it smooth and add it to 
the milk and lard when the latter are lukewarm (not 
before). Mix the salt and flour well together ; make 
a well in the middle, pour in the egg, well beaten, 
with the sugar, then the milk, lard, and yeast. Stir 
all well together with a spoon, put it in a moderately 
warm place at the side of the range. When it has risen 
light (in about an hour, or possibly a little longer), 
knead it, without adding more flour, about fifteen 
or twenty minutes, always stretching out the dough 
towards you, doubling it, and kneading on top (to 
form a proper grain). Cover and set it away until it 
has risen quite light again (in about three or four 
hours). Then roll it out half an inch thick; cut it 
neatly with a cutter about two and three-fourths inches 

158 



FOODS 



in diameter; roll the smaller cuts left to about half 
the thickness of the other, and cut with a second cut- 
ter two inches in diameter (a kitchen pepper-box top 
will do for the purpose). Place the small cuts on top 
of the large ones in a platter, and do not place the 
large ones too near each other. When all are ar- 
ranged set them away to rise for the third time (about 
an hour). When quite light, bake in a quick oven. 
If the biscuits are wanted for the invalid's six-o'clock 
tea, they should be begun about half-past ten o'clock 
in the morning. 

Or the dough 
(without the egg 
and sugar if for 
a dinner or break- 
fast bread) may be 
made in the form 

of braids, as shown in cut. This is easily done. Three 
rolls of even size are braided, the ends trimmed and 
turned under. 




Wafer Biscuits 

Rub a piece of butter the size of a large hickory-nut 
into a pint of sifted flour ; sprinkle over it a little salt. 
Mix this into a stiff, smooth paste, using therefor the 
white of an egg beaten to a froth, and some warm 
milk. Beat the paste with a rolling-pin for half an 
hour or longer ; the more the dough is beaten the 
better are the biscuits. Form the dough into little 
round balls about the size of a pigeon's egg, then roll 
each of them to the size of a saucer. They should be 
mere wafers in thickness. Sprinkle a little flour over 
the tins. Bake. 

These wafers are exceedingly good to serve with an 
invalid's soup, or with a cup of tea, or they may be 

159 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

soaked in the oven with cream or milk, as described 
for cream toast. When made with the new-process 
flour or the cold-blast flour, containing the full nutri- 
tion of the wheat, these wafers, when soaked in a nu- 
trient liquid, constitute for the invalid not only a 
healthful but a sufficient meal. 

Wafers of oatmeal, granulated wheat, barley-gluten, 
etc., or of mixtures of different grains, may be made in 
the same manner as the wafers described in the pre- 
ceding receipt, or they may be made by simply add- 
ing a little salt and mixing with water, then beating 
for twenty minutes or more. 

They may be varied in design ; for instance, cut 
into diamond shape with a knife, or with a scalloped 
paste jagger, or in long, narrow strips four inches 
long and three-fourths of an inch wide, like toast sip- 
pets. However they are cut, let them be quite regu- 
lar and even in shape and also baked with care. 

Graham Wafees 

Sift two quarts Graham flour, to remove the silicious 
hull, which is too irritating for an invalid. Add a very 
little salt, and mix well in butter the size of an egg. 
Stir in enough water, water and milk, or all milk to 
make a rather stiff dough. Roll out as thin as a wafer, 
and roll and fold two or three times as in making puff 
paste. Roll again as thin as a thin wafer and cut into 
strips with jagger. Bake carefully in a rather quick 
oven. 

Corn-bread (INo. 1) — (United States Hotel, Saratoga) 

Ingredients : Two cupfuls flour ; one cupful and a 
half of corn-meal ; a scant half-cupful of sugar ; one 
and two-thirds cupful sour milk; two eggs; lard or 

160 



FOODS 

butter the size of an egg (one ounce) ; a saltspoonful 
of salt ; one teaspoonf ul of soda, dissolved in a quarter- 
cupful of hot water. 

Mix the flour, corn-meal, salt, and soda and water 
well together ; next beat together the sugar and eggs, 
and add them to the flour, etc., and at the same time 
the butter (melted) and the milk. Mix all well to- 
gether and bake immediately. 

Corn-bread (No. 2) 

Ingredients : One cupful and a half of milk ; one cup- 
ful of fine corn-meal, sifted ; two eggs ; a scant table- 
spoonful of butter; one teaspoonf ul of sugar; one 
teaspoonf ul of baking-powder. Pour the milk, boil- 
ing, on the sifted meal. When cold, acid the butter 
(melted), the salt, sugar, baking-powder, the yolks of 
the eggs, and lastly the whites, well beaten separately. 
Bake half an hour in a hot oven. 

Or the corn-bread is still better as follows : Ingre- 
dients — one pint of milk ; half a pint of corn-meal (sift- 
ed) ; four eggs ; a scant table-spoonful of butter ; salt, 
and one teaspoonf ul of sugar. 

This last receipt contains no baking-powder. The 
whites of the eggs should be well beaten to a stiff 
froth. The ingredients are put together exactly as 
described in first receipt. 

Corn Rice Bread 

Ingredients : One half-pint of corn-meal (one cupful) ; 
one pint of cold boiled rice ; one-half pint (one cupful) 
of milk ; one egg ; one-half teaspoonful of salt ; one 
table-spoonful of sugar ; butter, the size of a pigeon's 
egg; one teaspoonful of baking-powder. Mix the 
baking-powder, sugar, salt, and corn -meal well to- 
gether. Pass the rice through the colander, and add 
L 161 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

it to the milk, egg, and butter (melted). Then stir in 
the corn-meal, etc., and put it quickly in the oven. 

Hoe-cake 

Pour enough boiling water on one pint corn-meal, 
salted, to make the grain swell. Let it stand half an 
hour. Add enough milk — from half a cup to a cupful 
— to make it rather moist, as this ensures a brown 
crust. Put two or three heaping table-spoonfuls on a 
hot griddle greased with lard. Smooth over the sur- 
face, making a flat cake about half an inch thick and 
of round shape. When browned on one side, turn 
and brown it on the other. Serve very hot. A good 
breakfast cake with a savory crust. 

Southern Batter Bread 

Pour over a pint of white water-ground corn-meal 
enough boiling water to make a thick batter. Wait 
ten minutes to allow the meal to swell, and add a lib- 
eral half-pint of milk, salt, and two well-beaten eggs. 
This will make a thin batter. Place in baking - dish 
with bits of butter on top, and bake in moderately hot 
oven for twenty minutes. 

Pancakes (of Flour, Granulated Wheat, Corn-meal, 
Bread-crumbs, Oatmeal, Rice, Gluten, etc.) 

Stir into two cupfuls of milk a little salt and enough 
of any of the flours to make a stiff batter: Beat the 
yolks and whites of two eggs separately and whip 
separately into the batter, adding the whites last. 
This mixture will be light enough, if cooked at once, 
without the addition of baking-powder. 

If there is any cold boiled rice, oatmeal porridge, 
hominy, etc., at hand, some of any or all of these im- 

162 



FOODS 

prove the pancakes very much. The pancakes are 
also better if the whites of the eggs are beaten to a 
stiff froth, and added just when the cakes are to be 
cooked (not before). 

If sour milk is used, a scant half-teaspoonf ul of soda 
dissolved in a little warm water should be stirred in 
last, although more or less of soda is used, according 
to the acidity of the milk. If the griddle is quite hot 
and smooth, and is merely moistened with a little lard, 
the cakes will not be greasy nor very unwholesome. 
However, the writer will not risk recommending them 
for an invalid. 

Currant Scone {Hygienic Cookery) 

Ingredients: Two cupfuls sifted Graham flour; two 
cupfuls sifted white flour; one cupful and a half of 
thin sweet cream — part milk will do ; one cupful and a 
half of English currants, picked, washed, and drained ; 
two and a half teaspoonfuls of baking-powder, or 
two-thirds teaspoonful of soda, and one and a half tea- 
spoonfuls of cream of tartar. Stir together the Gra- 
ham and white flour, acid the soda (pulverized) and 
cream of tartar (or, in its place, the baking-powder), and 
sift two or three times. Then stir in the currants, and 
wet with the cream to make a tolerablv stiff dough ; 
knead as little as possible ; gather up the mass lightly 
till it will stick together, and roll to the thickness of 
half or three-quarters of an inch. Prick deeply with a 
fork or draw shallow lines across the top, forming dia- 
mond creases. Bake. 

It is excellent made of Graham flour without the 
white flour. It is not good the day after it is baked. 
For an invalid it is a palatable cake, eaten with grape 
juice, etc. 

163 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Hard Graham Rolls 

This is a bread much used by the hygienists, and is 
called " the perfect bread " by Dr. Trail. It is much 
relished by those who have become accustomed to it, 
and who crave " no spice but hunger, no stimulant but 
exercise." 

I It is made by simply mixing cold water — the colder 
the better — into good Graham flour until it becomes 
a moderately stiff dough, and kneading or pounding 
it, like the Southern beaten biscuit, for twentv min- 

7 7 ,/ 

utes or more, until it becomes smooth and elastic to 
the touch, and brittle if pulled. If the dough is too 
stiff the biscuit will be dry and hard, and if too soft 
it will be wet and clammy. It will require, perhaps, 
two-thirds of a pint of water to mix a quart of flour, 
although the quantity will vary according to the 
grade of flour. The dough is formed into little biscuits 
about three inches long and not quite three-fourths of 
an inch wide. Make up the panful quickly, setting 
them a little apart ; prick them with a fork, and bake 
in a rather quick oven. When done they should not 
yield to the pressure of the finger. They may be made 
into the form of stems of the shape of lady's-fingers. 
These rolls are better fresh-baked, although if any 
are left from the day before they are excellent when 
warmed over, as follows : Break each roll into two 
or three pieces (do not cut them) ; drop them into 
cold water, and when soaked place them on a bread- 
pan in a brisk oven which will crisp without shrivel- 
ling them. As soon as stiff and lightly crisped they 

are done. 

Cracked Wheat 

The receipt here given is one of the most important 
receipts in this book, for the invalid, or, indeed, for 

164 



FOODS 

any one. It supplies a very palatable dish, light and 
wholesome enough for the most delicate stomach, and 
is very nourishing. 

It is well to ask for the cracked wheat, double 
milled, at the grocer's or miller's, if you would avoid 
the silicious fibre which encircles the grain, and which 
is sometimes unwholesome for those with delicate 
stomachs. The preparation preferred is that of the 
whole grain, which is quite free from the woody 
skin. 

Receipt. — The ingredients are : One-half cupful of 
cracked wheat; two and a half cupfuls of water; 
two and a half cupfuls of milk ; one-half teaspoonf ul 
of salt. 

Salt the water, and when it comes to a boil add the 
grits, and let it simmer, without a cover, on top of the 
range for an hour. The water will then be almost 
evaporated ; then add the milk (hot), and let it cook 
an hour longer. Stir it occasionally to keep the wheat 
from sticking to the bottom, and also to mingle evenly 
the grains with the liquid. More stirring than this 
is objectionable. A copper or porcelain-lined sauce- 
pan or earthen crock is preferable for cooking this 
dish, as there is less danger from burning. The wheat 
cooked in a double kettle will not be as good, the steam 
puffing through the grains giving a better flavor. 
There is no danger of burning if it is not cooked too 
fast. The milk used should be perfectly fresh and 
sweet, or the mixture will curdle. 

"When done, stir it carefully, as it will be thin and 
the grains will be liable to sink, and pour it into cups 
(previously wet with cold water) about three-fourths 
full. Set aside to become cold and solid. Do not re- 
move the wheat from the moulds until ready to serve. 
Serve with cream or milk and pulverized sugar. 

165 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 



Oatmeal Poeridge 

It seems very simple to make oatmeal porridge, yet 
it is a very different dish as made by different cooks. 
The ingredients are : One even cupful (one-half pint) 
of oatmeal to one quart of boiling water, and one tea- 
spoonful of salt. Boil forty-five minutes. 

The water should be salted and boiling, when the 
meal is sprinkled in with one hand while it is lightly 
stirred with the other. When mixed it should boil 
slowly, uncovered, or partly uncovered, without after- 
wards being stirred 
more than is neces- 




EARTHEN CROCK 



sary to keep it from 
adhering to the bot- 
tom, and to mingle 
the grains two or 
three times, that they 
may all be evenly 
cooked. If much 
stirred the porridge 
will be starchy or 
waxy and poor in flavor. The puffing of the steam 
through the grains without much stirring swells each 
one separately, and when done the porridge is light 
and palatable. This manner of cooking is appli- 
cable to all the grains. Professional cooks insist 
upon having copper saucepans for cooking the grains, 
for the reason that with them there is but little dan- 
ger of burning. A common earthen crock placed on 
the range answers the purpose very well. Care must 
be taken that a cold crock is not suddenly placed on a 
very hot surface. Pour hot water into the crock be- 
fore placing it on the range, and there will be little 



danger of breaking. 



166 



FOODS 

Corn-meal Mush 

French physicians maintain that corn -meal is of 
great benefit in stimulating the action of the liver. 

In making mush, the quantity of water required 
varies according to the quality of the meal, the North- 
ern yellow meal requiring less water than the South- 
ern white meal. 

Pour one quart of boiling water over a pint of 
white meal with a teaspoonful of salt in it. Boil for 
half an hour, stirring frequently, and add a pint or 
less of milk just before serving. 

Fried Mush 

Prepare mush as above from twelve to twenty-four 
hours before it is needed. Pour while hot into a 
slightly buttered flat dish. Cut with a knife into 
slices one inch broad and three inches long, and fry in 
lard or butter. 

Small hominy may be prepared in the same way. 
This is excellent, served like toast, under fried chicken 
or game, and is a palatable breakfast dish with or 
without thin slices of bacon. 

Cracker Flakes 

Soda - crackers, lightly rolled so that they form 
flakes rather than a powder, are very palatable, served 
with milk or cream, and, if allowed, powdered sugar. 
The alkaline cracker corrects acidity, and may even be 
used for a change, instead of lime-water, with milk. 

Potato Flour 

Potato flour, while comparatively new in America, 
is much used in England and Continental Europe as a 
food for dyspeptics, on account of its digestibilit} 7 and 

167 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

its soothing qualities in irritability of the stomach. 
It is also recommended, because of its freedom from 
any pronounced flavor, as a thickening in soups, blanc- 
manges, etc. It makes a beautifully white and light 
cake, and may be used generally as a substitute for 
flour or corn-starch. 

The analysis, furnished to one of our consuls in 

Austria, is, exclusive of water, as follows: 

■ 

Pure starch flour : 98.98 

Mineral substances .40 

Albumen.. ..... 28 

Starch covers, etc 34 

Banana Meal 

Of banana meal, which has recently been introduced 
into England, and which is likely to be an export 
from our new possessions in the West Indies, Henry 
M. Stanley, in Darkest Africa, writes as follows: 
"During my two attacks of gastritis, a light gruel, 
of banana meal, mixed with milk, was the only mat- 
ter that could be digested." He adds that it saved 
his life in a third illness. 

The grayish color of the meal is not appetizing, but 
made into a kind of gruel or porridge, in the propor- 
tion of one table-spoonful of banana meal to half a 
pint of milk, it is said to be an exceedingly digestible 
and — when sugar and cream are added — agreeable 
preparation. 

DISHES MADE WITH GLUTEN 

The writer finds it a little difficult to provide very 
palatable dishes out of gluten, without starch. Added 
to rice, farina, and other starch grains (which are pro- 
hibited in some diseases), it is good when made into 

168 



FOODS 

pancakes, or any of the puddings made of other grains. 
For thickening sauces, soups, or gravies, it is satis- 
factory. Gluten used instead of bread-crumbs for 
crumbing fish slices or fillets, oysters, sweetbreads, 
etc. (for frying), is also a success. 

Gluten Bread 

Ingredients : One pint of milk ; one pint of warm 
water ; butter or lard the size of a walnut ; one-half 
cake of any fresh, dry hop } r east, or one-fifth of a two- 
cent cake of compressed } 7 east, rubbed smooth with a 
little water ; one egg y well beaten ; a little salt. 

Mix the milk, water, egg, yeast, and lard (melted), 
and stir in the gluten until a soft batter is formed. 
After it has risen (in some warm place), mix in gluten 
enough to form a soft dough (like biscuits), and knead 
well. Form into loaves, and, when risen a second time, 
bake. Gluten bread requires less yeast than ordinary 
bread, and less time in rising. 

Gluten Mush 

Place one and a half cupfuls of water on the fire to 
boil. Stir smoothly either a cupful of cold milk or 
water into a cupful of gluten, and a half-teaspoonful 
of salt. When the water boils, pour in the mixture 
gradually and let it cook twenty minutes. 

Fried Mush 

Slices of cold gluten mush fried or sauted in a little 
hot lard. 

Gluten Muffins 

Ingredients : One cupful and a half of gluten ; one 
cupful of milk; one egg; one- fourth teaspoonful of 
salt ; one teaspoonful of baking-powder. 

169 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Heat the gem pans before buttering, pour in the 
batter, and bake fifteen minutes in a quick oven. 

This quantity will make eight gems, or just fill one 
of the ordinary iron gem pans. Or rice may be added 
as follows : 

Gluten- and-Rice Muffins (not for diabetics) 

•Ingredients : One capful of gluten ; one cupful and 
a half of cold boiled rice ; one cupful of milk ; one 
egg ; one-half teaspoonf ul of salt ; butter the size of a 
hickorj^-nut ; two teaspoonf uls of baking-powder. 

Mix the baking-powder, salt, and gluten well to- 
gether. Pass the rice through a colander, and stir 
into it the milk, egg, and butter (melted); next add 
the gluten mixture, and put it quickly into the oven. 
Or, instead of rice, the same quantity of cold boiled 
pearled barley or oatmeal may be substituted ; or 
three-fourths of a cupful of corn-meal and one cupful 
of gluten, with the other ingredients in the preceding 
receipt, make good breakfast muffins. 

A Gluten Pudding or Geuel 

Ingredients : One cupful of water ; two table-spoon- 
fuls of gluten, rubbed smooth in four table-spoonfuls 
of cold water ; the white of one egg; salt. 

When the cupful or half-pint of water is salted and 
boiling, mix in the gluten paste and let it cook ten 
minutes ; stir in the white of an egg beaten to a stiff 
froth. Let it remain a half-minute (while stirring it) 
to set the egg. To be eaten hot and freshly made. 
Or, instead of four table-spoonfuls of cold water for 
making the gluten paste, let it be four table-spoonfuls 
of cream, and the pudding may be sweetened with 
saccharin. 

170 



FOODS 



Gluten Pudding 

Soak two slices of gluten bread in a little milk in 
which an egg, half a tabloid to a tabloid of saccharin, 
and a sprinkling of nutmeg have been mixed. Do not 
let the bread get too soft to handle. Fry the slices 
on a griddle in either a little hot lard or butter. 

Gluten Cream Wafers 

Stir gluten (crude or purified) and a little salt into 
sweet cream until the dough is thick enough to roll 
out to the thickness of pasteboard. Beat the dough 
with a potato-masher for fifteen minutes or more, roll 
out, cut into forms, and bake. 

Gluten Cheese-cakes 

Add to a cupful of gluten three table-spoonfuls of 
grated cheese, two table-spoonfuls of cream, the yolks 
of two eggs, a saltspoonful of salt, and a little nut- 
meg. Eoll thin, and bake like cookies. 

Gluten Souffle 

To a half -cupful of gluten add two table-spoonfuls 
of grated cheese, the beaten yolk of an egg, half 
a saltspoonful of salt, and three table - spoonfuls of 
cream. Mix this evenly together, forming a soft paste 
a little thicker than for pancakes. The last thing, stir 
in the whites of the eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Bake 
in patty pans, or paper cases, and serve as soon as 
baked. It is a very rich dish, too rich for much to be 
eaten at one time. 

171 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 



DISHES OF MACARONI 

Macaroni atj Gratin 

Ingredients: One cupful of well -boiled macaroni 
(macaroni added to well -salted water while boiling, 
and boiled about twenty minutes, or until soft, then 
drained); after it is chopped quite fine, add one cupful 
of milk, two or three sprigs of parsley (or a heaping 
teaspoonful after being chopped fine), a heaping tea- 
spoonful of flour, one egg, butter the size of a black 
walnut. Put the butter in a little saucepan, and, when 
it bubbles, throw in the flour and cook it without 
coloring ; then add the milk and the parsley ; let it 
simmer a minute ; then take it from the fire, add a 
little of the chopped macaroni to the egg (for the pur- 
pose of beating it more easily), then add the sauce and 
remainder of the macaroni. Put it into a little pint 
pudding-dish or gratin pan, sprinkle over coarse bread- 
crumbs which have been colored in a little butter, or 
place it in the oven for a few minutes to color the top, 
which makes it " au gratin" 

Macaroni Croquettes (Louis Bertholon, Chef) 

Throw a third of a package (one- third of a pound) 
of macaroni into salted boiling water, and boil it for 
twenty minutes ; then cut it into quarter-inch lengths, 
forming little rings. 

Prepare a sauce as follows : Make a roux by placing 
in a saucepan butter the size of a pigeon's egg ; when 
bubbling, add a generous table-spoonful (a quarter of 
a cupful) of flour ; let it cook a minute, and then add 
a cupful of stock, half a cupful of cream, two table- 
spoonfuls of grated cheese, one -fifth of a nutmeg 
(grated), salt, a little pepper, and, when all is well 

172 



FOODS 

mixed and cooked for a couple of minutes, take the 
mixture from the fire and stir in also the beaten yolk 
of an egg. Return the saucepan to the fire to cook 
the egg slightly, but do not let it boil, as that will 
curdle the egg. Now mix in evenly the macaroni 
rings (two cupfuls), and spread the mixture about 
half an inch in thickness over a pan. When cold it 
should be made into croquette form, egged and 
bread-crumbed, to be fried in boiling lard. 

This mixture is quite soft to handle, but with a little 
practice it is easily managed. Take up with a spoon 
enough for a croquette; shape it on the table with a 
knife ; sprinkle over some sifted cracker crumbs, then 
lift it dexterously with a pancake-turner on a plate 
of slightly beaten egg; turn it over with the pancake- 
turner ; then again lift it to a plate of sifted cracker 
crumbs. It may now be rolled without trouble. 

Croquettes of all kinds are better if quite soft. 
They should be placed on the ice for some time be- 
fore cooking. 

Cheese served in this manner is not indigestible, 
according to Mr. Mattieu Williams, in an article on 
" The Chemistry of Cookery," published in the Popu- 
lar Science Monthly. Mr. Williams asserts that cheese, 
although indigestible when eaten raw, is very diges- 
tible when cooked and mixed with other articles of 
food. The diet is so hearty and rich that, when eaten 
in much quantit} 7 , other food should not be taken at 
the same time. In this receipt the cheese may be 
omitted if preferred. 

These croquettes are to be served with tomato sauce. 

Macaroni and Tomato Sauce 

Put butter the size of an egg into a saucepan, 
and when it is at the boiling-point throw in an onion 

173 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

(minced), two sprigs of parsley (chopped fine), and a 
little pepper. Let it cook five or eight minutes ; then 
throw in a heaping table-spoonful of flour and a little 
broth from the stock-pot ; if there is no broth, use a 
little boiling water ; stir this well and let it cook five 
to eight minutes longer. Now pour in about a coffee- 
cupful of tomatoes which have been stewed and 
slrained through a colander or a sieve, and stir all to- 
gether. Boil half a pound of macaroni tender in well- 
salted boiling water or in stock, and drain It in the 
colander. Place alternate layers of the macaroni and 
the sauce on a hot dish, pouring the sauce over the 
top. Put the dish into the oven two or three min- 
utes to heat. Serve immediately. 

Tomato Sauce (for macaroni, etc.) 

Ingredients : One pint can of tomatoes ; one sprig 
of parsley ; half of a bay-leaf ; two cloves ; one tea- 
spoonful of onion, or one slice ; salt and pepper. Add 
the seasoning to the tomatoes, and let them simmer 
all together for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally. 
Pass through a sieve, leaving out the seasoning. 
Place in a saucepan butter the size of a hickory-nut, 
and, when it bubbles, add a teaspoonful of flour. Mix 
and cook it well, then add the tomato pulp, stirring it 
until it is smooth and consistent. 

The sauce may be made one or two days before it 
is needed, if more convenient, and reheated just be- 
fore serving. 

DISHES OF RICE 

Pice 

may be served with many dishes — for instance, in a 
circle around chicken, fried spring chicken or boiled ; 

174 



FOODS 

or cold chicken dice may be stewed, with white or 
brown sauce poured over both the rice and chicken ; 
or it may be served with sweetbreads, or with stewed 
fruits — apples, peaches, pears, etc. 

To Boil Rice 

For a teacupful of boiled rice place a quart of clear 
water over the lire, and, when it boils hard, throw in 
two ounces, or two table-spoonfuls, of rice which has 
been previously well washed in cold water. Throw 
in also a teaspoonful of salt. Take off any scum that 
rises. In twenty minutes press some of the grains be- 
tween the fingers, and if quite soft it is cooked enough. 
Do not cook the grains until they become broken. 
When done, pour the rice into a sieve to drain off the 
water; return the rice grains to the dry saucepan; 
cover them partly, and set them at the side of the fire 
to steam and dry. 

To Boil Rice in Milk 

Bring one pint of milk to a boil, then stir in two 
table-spoonfuls of well-washed rice and a quarter of a 
teaspoonful of salt ; pour it into a basin, cover it well, 
and place it in the oven to bake for an hour; or it may 
be cooked in the double saucepan. In a copper sauce- 
pan it can be boiled at the top of the range without 
burning, when it will be cooked in about twenty min- 
utes. 

A Rice Dish (to be served as a vegetable) 

Mix carefully (not to break the grains) in a pint of 
boiled rice a table-spoonful of either minced parsley or 
cives ; put a piece of butter the size of a pigeon's egg 
into a saucepan, and let it color a light brown ; mix 
the rice in the butter, and serve hot as a vegetable. A 

175 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

little mound of this rice may be placed in the centre 
of a platter, with a row of green peas around it. 

Rice and Gravy 

Fresh-boiled rice wet with the juice from roast beef 
or mutton (free from fat) may be served on a piece of 
toast. 

Rice Cones 

Cook the rice in either milk or water, and while 
hot pour it into cups (which have previously been 
dipped in cold water), filling them about three-fourths 




full. When cold and ready to serve, turn them out, 
arranging them uniformly on a platter ; or, for an in- 
valid, turn one into a small oval platter or a saucer. 
Scoop out a little of the rice from the top of each 
cone, and put in its place any kind of jelly. Pour in 
the bottom of the dish a hot brandy sauce (see p. 
214), or hot sweet sauce of any kind, provided it is 
not flavored with vanilla. Or raisins, figs, or dates 
may be plumped by pouring boiling water over them, 
then drained and served around the cones. 



A Plain Rice-pudding 

The manner of making this delicious and plain- 
est of puddings was taught the writer by an admi- 
rable chef, Louis Bertholon. The flavor is quite re- 



176 



FOODS 

markable, considering that it is almost as simple as 
plain boiled rice. 

For an invalid choose a little puclding-dish holding 
about a pint. Put in a heaping table-spoonful of un- 
cooked rice, fill the dish with boiling milk, and place 
it in the oven. Let it cook, stirring it once or twice 
(to prevent lumping), for about half an hour; then take 
it out and mix in a table-spoonful of sugar and half a 
teaspoonful of essence of lemon, or the thin, yellow 
cuts (without any white) of the rind of half a lemon, 
or with fleur oV orange, or a sprinkling of nutmeg, or, 
indeed, any flavoring preferred, except vanilla; return 
the dish to the oven, cooking altogether two hours, or 
one and a half hours if the oven is quite hot. As the 
milk boils down, more hot milk should be added (keep- 
ing the dish always filled) by lifting the skin and pour- 
ing in the milk at the side, or by removing the skin 
and allowing a new one to form. The dish will re- 
quire about one and a half pints of milk. 

Rice -pudding 

Another successful pudding, where every grain of 
rice lies in a creamy bed. 

Ingredients : One cupful of boiled rice (it is better 
if fresh-cooked and hot); three cupfuls of milk; three- 
fourths of a cupful of sugar; one table - spoonful of 
corn-starch ; two eggs; flavoring; or half these ingredi- 
ents for a pint pudding-dish. Dissolve the corn-starch 
first with a little milk, and then stir in the remainder 
of the milk. Bring this to a boil, take it from the fire, 
and, when slightly cooled, stir in the rice and the yolks 
of the eggs beaten well with the sugar. Return this 
to the fire (there is less risk of burning in a custard 
kettle) and stir until it begins to thicken like boiled 
custard, watching it carefully not to let it boil or curdle. 
M 177 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

JNow, again, remove it from the fire, add the flavoring 
(a scant teaspoonful of lemon extract), and pour it into 
a pudding- dish. Spread over the top the whites of 
the eggs, beaten to a stiff froth, with a little sugar and 
flavoring added. Or, with the aid of a cone of writ- 
ing-paper, decorate the top with a fanciful design, a 
la meringue. Give it a delicate color in the oven. To 
be eaten either hot or cold. 

Rice a l'Imperatrice (Louis Cuppinger) 

Place over the fire one pint and a half of milk and 
the thin yellow zest of a lemon, and, when it boils, 
stir in half a teacupful of rice, and an even saltspoon- 
ful of salt. When cooked (in about twenty minutes) 

stir in carefully half a 
cupful of sugar and a 
few drops of essence 
of lemon, or two or 
three spoonfuls of 
rum, or any preferred 
flavoring. The rice 
should be rather mbist 
when cooked. Spread 
it on a platter to get quite cold, then stir in care- 
fully half a pint of cream, whipped to a froth, and 
the fourth of a box of gelatin dissolved in a scant 
half-cupful of water. To dissolve the gelatin, add it 
to the cold water, then set it for fifteen or twenty 
minutes in a warm place. Mould the rice. For the 
invalid it may be moulded in a teacup, or in one of 
the pretty little fancy moulds, which come in all sizes. 

RlCE-PUDDING A LA GuiLLOD 

Ingredients : A scant half-cupful of rice ; one pint 
of water ; one cupful (half-pint) of milk ; butter the 

178 




FOODS 

size of a hickory-nut; one table - spoonful of sugar; 
four eggs ; salt ; flavoring — a scant teaspoonful of 
lemon extract, or two or three table - spoonfuls of 
rum. 

When the water (salted) is at the boiling-point add 
the rice, and cook it twenty-five minutes ; then add 
the milk (hot) ; cook it ten minutes longer ; then add 
the butter, sugar, lemon, and well-beaten yolks of the 
eggs. Stir this for a few moments over the fire to set 
the eggs, without allowing it to boil. This batter may 
be stirred with a spoon for the purpose of partly 
breaking up the grains of rice, or it may be passed 
through a sieve. When the batter is cold stir in dex- 
terously the whites of the eggs beaten to a stiff froth, 
and put it immediately into a buttered double boiler 
(p. 99), or into a long tin pail which may be cov- 
ered, and set it into a pot of boiling water, the water 
reaching about three - fourths to the top. A weight 
should be placed on top of the tin pail to keep it from 
turning. Cook about three - quarters of an hour. 
Turn out carefully on a platter, and serve with cur- 
rant or plum jelly sauce. 

This receipt was given by an excellent cook, Louise 
Guillod, to the writer. 

Currant or Plum Jelly Sauce (for Kice-pudding, etc.) 

Stir two dessert-spoonfuls of currant jelly (a scant 
third of a cupful) and two table-spoonfuls of sugar 
into one and a half cupfuls of cold water. It is some- 
times difficult to dissolve the jelly. Bring it to a boil, 
then add a teaspoonful of either corn-starch or flour 
for a thickening, first rubbed smooth in a little cold 
water ; let it cook two or three minutes. To be 
served cold. 

179 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Rice Croquettes (No. 1) 

Boil one cupful of rice in milk. When cold, add the 
yolks of three eggs, a teaspoonful of salt, a table- 
spoonful of butter, and a little nutmeg. Put on ice 
for two or three hours. Form as other croquettes ; 
roll first in bread-crumbs, then in egg, then in bread- 
crumbs again, and fry in boiling lard. 

Rice Croquettes (No. 2) 

Boil six table-spoonfuls of rice in milk until soft, 
with a saltspoonful of salt and a little lemon peel. 
Remove peel, and when the rice is cold add a table- 
spoonful of butter, four table-spoonfuls of granulated 
sugar, the beaten yolks of three eggs, and, if not too 
indigestible, twelve macaroons, crushed and rolled. 
Place on the ice for three hours, and mould and cook 
croquettes as usual. 

EGGS 

The egg, as we have already stated, is one of the 
most valuable, though not always the most digestible 
of foods for the invalid. Dr. Fothergill, the. eminent 
English authority on dietetics, writes as follows : 
" The egg is certainly a fluid food until its albumen is 
consolidated by heat. An egg, beaten up with coffee, 
is a drink relished by many. Others prefer it with 
sherry. Some like it with milk and brandy. With a 
pinch of pepper and salt, and a little vinegar, an egg 
forms a ' prairie oyster.' The white of an egg, added 
to home-made lemonade, enables it to be frothed up. 
This is a pleasant and nutritive drink. Under other 
circumstances the yolk is the part preferred. It can 

180 



FOODS 



be taken with wine, or milk and branch\ The yolk of 
an egg is a constituent factor of the ' rum and milk ' 

Do 

so famous in the treatment of phthisis. Half a pint 
of milk, the newer and fresher the better, the yolk of 
an egg, a teaspoonful of sugar, a suspicion of nutmeg, 
and a spoonful (the size varies) of rum, all beaten to- 
gether and taken the first thing in the morning, has 
been credited with the cure of many cases of consump- 
tion. Taken early, it will often prevent the exhaust- 
ing sweats which accompany the morning doze." 

A Raw Egg 

Beat well the yolk with a teaspoonful of sugar in a 
goblet ; then stir in one or two teaspoonfuls of brandy, 
sherry, or port wine ; add to this 
mixture the white of the egg, 

DO' 

beaten to a stiff froth. If prop- 
erly beaten it should fill a goblet 
to overflowing. Carefully stir all 
together. If wine is not desired, 
flavor the egg with nutmeg. It 
is very palatable without flavor- 
ing at all, using only the sugar. 

Boiled Eggs 

Eggs are generally boiled by 
placing them in boiling water and 
boiling them two and three-quar- 
ter minutes. It is better to put 
the eggs in a saucepan of cold 
water, half a pint to each egg. Set it over a fire hot 
enough to make the water boil in three or four min- 
utes. As soon as the water boils, remove the saucepan 
from the fire and let the eggs remain in the water one 
minute. 

181 




DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Poached Eggs 

This is probably the best mode of serving eggs for 
an invalid, unless served uncooked, as described in a 
preceding receipt. 




POACHED EGGS 



Poached eggs are generally wretchedly cooked by 
non-professional cooks. They are either thrown into 
rapidly boiling water and torn into pieces, or are over- 
done. If overdone they are indigestible, since the al- 
bumen or white of the egg shrinks and becomes hard 
and tough. 

The white of an egg, properly poached, should be 
white, but of a soft, semi-transparent, jelly-like con- 
sistency. It should be tender and delicate, evenly 
cooked throughout, no part being hard while another 
is half raw. To prepare it in this manner, the water 
in which it is cooked should not reach the boiling- 
point. 

The easiest way is to slip the egg (previously broken 
into a saucer) carefully into salted water which is sim- 
mering. Then immediately set the saucepan at the 
side of the range (to prevent the water from boiling) 
and let the egg remain about ten minutes.* 

* Mr. Mattieu Williams, in The GJiemistry of Cooking, says the 

182 



FOODS 

Let the water be about two inches high in a low 
saucepan. Each egg should be broken separately into 
a saucer and slipped very carefully into the water. 
When cooked just enough, take out the egg with a 
perforated ladle (there should be nothing to trim) and 
slip it on a thin, buttered, and slightly salted square 
piece of toast which has previously been partly mois- 
tened by pouring a little boiling water into the bottom 
of the platter, and allowing the toast to soak it. As 
soon as cooked, sprinkle salt and a little pepper over 
the egg tops. Any substance absorbs more readily the 
flavor of seasoning when it is hot rather than when 
lukewarm or cold. 

Eggs may also be poached in milk, and a little of 
the milk added to moisten the toast. 

To poach eggs in ball shape: When the water is 
boiling fast, stir briskly until a small circle is formed 
and drop eggs to be poached in the centre. Or the 
Raquette egg-poacher may be used, giving to eggs the 
form of wild roses, daisies, etc. 

Poached eggs are very good introduced into beef 
broth. Delmonico serves poached eggs on toast with 
sorrel sprinkled over the tops. Fine water - cresses 
make a pretty garnish. 

Plain Omelet 

This omelet is of course too large for one, or even 
two persons, but the proportions used are those which 
are most easily subdivided. 

Separate the yolks and whites of six eggs. Beat 
the whites until stiff ; add the yolks and beat the two 
thoroughly together. Add a teaspoonful of salt and 

perfection of egg-poaching is to keep the egg in water at the tem- 
perature of 160° for half an hour. 

183 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

a little pepper, a table - spoonful of milk, and some 
scraps of butter — say half an ounce. 

Melt in a pan three ounces of butter. When very 
hot, throw in the eggs. Cook rapidly and prick 
from time to time with a fork to avoid bubbles. Turn 
out and fold on a dish. The addition of parsley, 
chives, or other herbs constitutes an omelette aux fines 
herhes. 

Macaroni Omelet 

Sprinkle a little grated cheese, salt, and cayenne 
pepper over one cupful of cooked macaroni. Beat 
three eggs as for a plain omelet, stir in the macaroni, 
cook quickly, fold and serve immediately. Or the 
omelet may be made plain and the macaroni folded 
in just before serving. 

Other Omelets 

Asparagus tips, peas, tomatoes, mushrooms, chopped 
ham, etc., are excellent additions to an omelet pre- 
pared in the same way as a macaroni omelet. 

Scrambled Eggs with Asparagus Tips 

Boil a bunch of asparagus in salted water. Cut off 
the tips and put over them, while hot, two ounces of 
butter. Scramble four eggs, adding the asparagus tips ; 
pepper and salt, and serve on toast moistened with 
the water in which the asparagus was boiled. This 
dish is especially beneficial to diabetics if gluten 
bread is used. 



DISHES OF MEAT, GAME, AND FISH 

The receipts for preparing beefsteaks and mutton 
chops, given below, are intended rather for the con- 
valescent than the invalid, while chickens and game 

184 



FOODS 

are generally acceptable to both. Many of the " made 
dishes" are relished by ,the invalid, not merely be- 
cause of the nourishment which they contain, but be- 
cause they are presented in tempting form and are a 
change from the ordinary diet of the sick-room. These 
dishes should be daintily prepared and served, and 
generally in small portions ; for it should be remem- 
bered that most " made dishes " contain a variety of 
ingredients, some of which may disagree with the 
patient, and their effects therefore should be carefully 
watched. Whenever practicable, a vegetable should 
be served with meat. A potato, for instance, baked 
in its jacket, and the inside removed and mashed per- 
fectly smooth, and seasoned with butter or cream and 
salt, and passed through a colander to look like ver- 
micelli, may be served around a beefsteak. Or the 
beefsteak may be garnished with parsley and slices of 
lemon, and served with peas, string beans, or stuffed 
tomatoes. Asparagus tips are excellent served with 
sweetbreads ; rice croquettes with chicken ; celery 
salad with game, etc. 

A Beefsteak 

Cut out the tender part of the beef from the porter- 
house or tenderloin steak. Let it be three-quarters of 
an inch thick. Do not pound it. A well-shaped piece 
cut from the round or sirloin steak is not to be de- 
spised, as it contains more juice than the tenderloin. 
A cut from a round steak should not be as thick as a 
tenderloin cut, and, if tough, may be pounded a little. 
Have the gridiron quite hot and well greased with 
pork or beef suet. Put on the steak over a hot, clear 
fire, and cover it with a baking -pan. A wood or 
charcoal fire is preferable to hard coal for broiling. 
In a few moments, when the steak is colored, turn it 

185 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

over ; watch it constantly, turning it when it gets a 
little brown. Do not stick a fork into it, as that will 
let out the juice, and do not place anything over it 
which can touch the top, as that will prevent the steak 
from swelling. Do not put on the pepper and salt 
before the steak is cooked, as it is calculated to harden 
the fibres. If the steak is very thick, either the fire 
must not be too brisk or it should be turned very 
often. However, the quicker any article to be broiled 
is cooked, the better. When cooked enough (from 
five to ten minutes), it should be rare or pink in the 
centre, though not raw. Place it on a hot platter, 




BEEFSTEAK A LA MA1TRE D HOTEL 



sprinkle it with pepper and salt, and spread over it 
some sweet, fresh batter; set the platter in the oven 
for a few moments so that the butter may soak a lit- 
tle into the steak, then serve immediately. A steak 
is much improved by a simple addition called d la 
maitre oV hotel, as follows: 

When the steak is cooked and placed on a hot plat- 
ter it receives first a sprinkling of pepper and salt; 
then a sprinkling of very finely minced parsley ; then 
some drops of lemon juice ; lastly, small pieces of but- 
ter are carefully spread over it. The steak is then 
placed in the oven for a few moments for the butter 
to become melted and soak into it. 

A tomato sauce (p. 174) is an excellent accompani- 
ment for a beefsteak. 

186 



FOODS 

Chopped Beefsteak 

From Miss Juliet Corson's very valuable receipts for 
the sick, published in Harper's Bazar : 

" Trim the fat from a pound of round or sirloin 
steak, cut the meat in inch pieces, put it into a meat- 
chopper or mincing-machine, and chop it for five min- 
utes ; then take from the top of the meat the fine 
pulp which rises during the operation of chopping ; 
continue to chop and to remove the pulp until only the 
fibre of the meat remains. Press the pulp into a round, 
flat cake, and broil it over a very hot fire for about 
five minutes on each side ; season it lightly with salt and 
cayenne pepper and a little butter, and serve it hot." :: ' 

"In selecting beefsteak for invalids some persons 
choose the filet, or tenderloin, because it seems most 
tender; it is hardly more digestible on that account, 
for its looseness of fibre does not favor complete mas- 
tication ; and it is less nutritious than sirloin or round 
steaks, because its muscular tissue is not so well nour- 
ished as that of the last-named cuts. Beef for the use 
of invalids should either be broiled quickly over a very 
hot fire, and lightly seasoned with salt and cayenne 
pepper, roasted at an open fire, or baked in a very hot 
oven without any water in the pan ; if the inside of 
beef is purple, it is not sufficiently cooked to be easily 
digested ; the color of properly cooked beef is pinkish- 
red. The inner cuts are the most digestible." 

A Beef Sandwich 

Scrape very fine two or three table -spoonfuls of 
fresh, juicy, tender, uncooked beef ; season it slightly 

* This steak is often served almost entirely uncooked. The pulp 
is slightly seasoned before it is formed into cakes, then merely 
heated through, although colored a light brown on the outside. 

187 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

with pepper and salt; spread it between two thin 
slices of slightly buttered bread, cut it neatly into lit- 
tle diamonds, and serve. 

A Venison Steak 
A venison steak should be cooked in the same man- 
ner as a beefsteak. A little melted currant jelly is a 

pleasant addi- 
tion. It is some- 
times made in 
the form of a 
sauce by dilut- 
ing the jelly 
with water and thickening it with a little corn-starch 
or flour. 

A Mutton-chop 

A cut from the loin is best. One containing a large 
tenderloin could be chosen for an invalid. Let it be 
cut thick and leave on it plenty of the fat. Broil as 




A VENISON STEAK 




CHOPS AND TOAST 



described for beefsteak. Serve with mashed pota- 
toes or other vegetables, and decorate it artisticallv. 
Chops may be served around the dish, with slices of 

188 



FOODS 

toast between them, and a bouquet of parsley in the 
centre. 

Breast of Chicken 

For an invalid a chicken fricassee or a bit of boiled 
chicken is most desirable. The breast of a tender 
chicken, seasoned and rubbed with butter, and thrown 
on some burning charcoal which is not too hot, is 
very savory. If skilfully cooked the surface will be 
very little charred, and the inside will be tender 
and juicy. When done, season again with butter, pep- 
per, and salt. 

Another mode of cooking the breast of a spring 
chicken is to stick the leg-bone into the end (giving it 
the form of a cutlet), rub it with butter, and broil it 
carefully. The second joint of the leg of a chicken 
contains more juice and has more flavor than the 
breast. 

A Fricassee of Chicken 

Cut two chickens into pieces. Reserve all the white 
meat and the best pieces ; the remainder use to make 
the gravy. Put the latter pieces into a porcelain ket- 
tle with a quart of cold water, one clove, pepper, salt, 
a small onion, a little bunch of parsley, and a small 
piece of pork ; let it simmer for half an hour, and then 
throw in the pieces for the fricassee ; let them boil 
slowly until they are quite done, take them out then, 
and keep them in a hot place. Now strain the gravy, 
take off all the fat, and add it to a roux of half a cup- 
ful of flour and a small piece of butter. Let this boil 
a few moments, then take it off the fire and stir in 
the yolks of three eggs, mixed with two or three table- 
spoonfuls of cream and the juice of half a lemon. Do 
not let it boil after the eggs are in or they will curdle. 
Stir it well, keeping it hot a moment; then pour it 

189 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

over the chicken and serve. Some of the fricassees 
with long and formidable names are not much more 
than wine or mushrooms, or both, added to this receipt. 

Chicken Croquettes (Philadelphia Cooking -school) 

To every pint of cold cooked chicken, chopped very, 
very fine, allow half a pint of cream or milk, one table- 
spoonful of butter, two table-spoonfuls of flour, one 
table-spoonful each of parsley and onion, chopped also 
very fine, a little nutmeg, salt, and caj^enne pepper to 
taste. 

Place the butter in a saucepan, and when it bubbles 
tfhrow in the onion, parsley, and flour, and let them 







CHICKEN CUOQUETTES 



cook a minute without taking color; then pour in the 
milk, stirring it well with an egg whisk until the mixt- 
ure is quite even and smooth. Let it boil another 
minute to cook the flour thoroughly, then stir in the 
chicken pulp and seasoning. When cool, form into 
croquettes, roll in beaten egg and sifted cracker 
crumbs, put on ice for three hours, and fry by immer- 
sion in boiling lard. The paste will be rather soft to 
handle, but a cook can easily manage it with a little 
practice. Of course, the softer the paste the more 
creamy and soft will be the croquettes when cooked. 
Croquettes are very good made with finely minced 
cold roast (not boiled) veal, instead of chicken. They 
resemble the chicken croquettes in flavor. 

190 



FOODS 

Or they may be made of cold roast beef, roast lamb, 
mutton, cold cooked sweetbreads, cold fish, etc., in- 
stead of chicken. In case sweetbreads are used they 
are cut into dice rather than minced. 

Chicken croquettes are much improved when served 
with brown, white, or tomato sauce. They are some- 
times served with peas, etc. 

Chicken with Macaroni or with Rice 

Cut the chicken into pieces ; fry or saute them in a 
little hot dripping, or in butter the size of an egg; 
when nearly done put the pieces into another sauce- 
pan; add a heaping teaspoonful of flour to the hot 
dripping, and brown it. Add a little cold or luke- 
warm water to the roux ; when smooth add a quart 
or more of boiling water. Pour this over the chicken 
in the saucepan, add a chopped sprig of parsley, a 
couple of slices of onion, pepper, and salt. Let the 
chicken boil half or three-quarters of an hour, or until 
it is thoroughly done ; then take out the pieces of 
chicken. Pass the sauce through a sieve, and remove 
all the fat. Have ready some macaroni which has 
been boiled in salted water, and let it come to a boil 
in this sauce. Arrange the pieces of chicken tastefully 
on a dish, pour the macaroni and sauce over them, and 
serve. Or, instead of macaroni, use boiled rice, which 
may be prepared in the same way as the macaroni. 

Plain Boiled Chicken 

Throw the chicken, cut into pieces, in plenty of boil- 
ing water (enough to have some left, after the boiling 
is over, for sauce). Boil slowly until the chicken is 
very tender, even if it takes all day. Thicken the 
gravy with flour, first rubbed smooth with a little cold 
water. Season with pepper and salt. A pot-pie addi- 

191 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

tion is generally made to this dish. Or the chicker 
may be served in the centre of a mound of boiled rice, 
garnished with slices of hard, boiled egg and parsley, 
and with the gravy poured over all. 

Fried Spring Chicken 

The excellence of spring chickens depends as much 
on their feeding as on their cooking. All chickens 
should be drawn as soon as killed, and are better if 
killed a day before cooking. Do not wash them. Sev- 
eral hours before cooking the chicken dismember h% 




FRIED SPRING CHICKEN 



and dip each piece hastily in a bowl of water ; spread 
on the table, sprinkle pepper and salt over all, then 
turn and season also the other side. Roll each piece 
separately, while still wet, in flour. When ready to 
cook have two or three spoonfuls of lard in a saute 
pan or spider quite hot, in which fry, or rather saute, 
the chickens, covering them and watching that they 
do not burn. The quicker they are cooked without 
scorching the better. When done, arrange them on a 
hot dish, pour out the lard from the spider, leaving 
what will stick at the bottom. Pour in one or two 
cupfuls of milk, thicken it with a little flour (rubbed 
smooth with a little cold milk), season with pepper 
and salt, pass it through the grav}^ strainer, pour it 
over the chicken. Minced parsley is often- added to 
the gravy. A circle of boiled rice or cauliflower around 

192 



FOODS 

the chicken, with the white sauce poured over both, is 
very nice. Decorate with parsley. 

Chicken Timbales 

Cut off the white meat of a tender chicken, care- 
fully remove skin, fat, and gristle, and pound in a 
mortar. Add the beaten white of an egg and strain 
through a fine sieve. 

Open a can (sold for 90 cents) of truffles, and drain 
off the liquor. Add this to the chicken, with an equal 
quantity of strong white veal or chicken stock, and, if 
the latter is used, a very little gelatin dissolved in 
warm water; also the crumb of a white roll soaked 
in milk, and a little salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Strain 
again through a fine sieve, and stir in the white of a 
beaten egg and a gill of whipped cream. This may 
be done with an egg whisk. 

Grease the timbale moulds thoroughly with butter, 
and decorate with the truffles sliced very thin and cut 
into shapes. Put in the chicken mixture carefully, 
pressing it against the decorations to keep them in 
place. Cover the moulds with greased paper and put 
in a slow oven, in a pan of hot water, for twenty min- 
utes, or until the mixture is firm. Turn out and serve 
with white sauce in which the remains of the truffles 
have been chopped up. 

This dish is far too rich for the average invalid, but 
it may be given in the last stage of convalescence. It 
would be much more wholesome and almost as good 
without the truffles. 

Chicken Souffle 

Chop half a pound of cold cooked chicken (freed 
from skin and bone) as fine as possible ; pound it in 
tne chopping-bowl — or, better, in a mortar; then rub it 

n 193 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 




CHICKEN SOUFFLE 



through a sieve with the edge of a large spoon. The 
white meat, although it has not the flavor of the dark 
meat, is better suited to this purpose. 

Now make a roux in a saucepan, as follows: Place 
in it butter of the size of a pigeon's egg, and, when it 
bubbles, stir in with an egg whisk a dessert-spoonful 

of flour; when evenly blended 
stir in three-quarters of a cupful 
of hot water, and let it cook a 
few moments, stirring it smooth- 
ly together with the egg whisk ; 
then stir in the chicken pulp and 
season it with salt and a little 
red pepper. Let the paste get 
entirely cold (covering it so that 
it will not get hard), then mix 
into it lightly, first the yolks of 
two eggs beaten to a cream, then the whites of three 
eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Put it immediately into 
little paper souffle cases, or silver scallop shells, or into 
a little pudding-dish. Bake about fifteen minutes in 
the oven, and serve immediately. 

A Simple Aspic Jelly 

Soak three-quarters of a box of gelatin for an hour, 
and add to one quart of very rich consomme two table- 
spoonfuls lemon juice, one wineglass Madeira, and salt 
and cayenne pepper to taste. Strain and clear with 
the shells and whites of two eggs. 

Chicken Jelly 

An invalid will often relish chicken jelly when 
neither broth nor meat will tempt him. 

Cut a young fowl in half. Put one -half, cut up, 
with the broken bones, into two quarts of water, and 

194 



FOODS 

simmer until the liquid is reduced to one-half. At 

the end of this time add a small slice of onion, a stick 

of celery, a dessert-spoonful of salt, and a little white 

pepper. Simmer for an hour or two longer. Place in 

an uncovered earthen- ware bowl to cool. When cold 

remove grease and clarify. If this is not stiff enough, 

add veal stock or a little gelatin. The meat of the 

remaining half-chicken may be broiled and served in 

this jelly. 

A Bird 

broiled, as described for beefsteak, and served on 
toast, is good for an invalid who is convalescent, pro- 
vided the bird is quite tender. It is not to be given 
to one whose digestion is weak. 

Breast of Prairie-chicken 

A breast of prairie-chicken broiled and served on 
toast is most digestible if tender. If not very tender 
it should be parboiled before broiling. Sometimes it 
is boiled with a little onion and parsley added to the 
water, and when done the gravy is strained and freed 
from fat, thickened with a roux (flour and butter), and 
seasoned with claret or sherry. 

Broiled Fish 

For this purpose a white fish from the lakes or a 
bass is generally used. The two sides of the fish are 
spread open by cutting partly through the back. It is 
seasoned with pepper and salt and sprinkled well with 
flour. The inside of the fish is first presented to the 
fire on a gridiron, well greased with lard or pork. As 
the fish can only be turned once, it must be watched 
carefully to avoid burning. Before turning, loosen the 
fish carefully from the gridiron with a knife or pancake- 
turner. If large, place a platter over the top, and in 

195 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

turning the gridiron the fish is left in the platter, 
whence it may be easily slid to the gridiron again for 
the purpose of cooking the other side. 

When cooked, serve the inside of the fish uppermost 
on the platter, sprinkle over pepper and salt ; add 
butter, minced parsley, and a little lemon juice. Place 
it in the oven for a few moments to soak in the but- 
ter, etc. Garnish with lemon slices and parsley. 

Boiled Fish 

The fish should be immersed, before cooking, in cold, 
salted water. It is generally served with a drawn- 
butter sauce, with an addition of chopped hard-boiled 
eggs or minced parsley, etc. Sometimes the fish is 
cut transversely into pieces about an inch and a half 
long and cooked en matelote, as follows : Sprinkle salt 
on them and let them remain while you boil two or 
three onions (sliced) in a little water. Pour off this 
water when the onions are cooked, and add to them a 
little pepper, about a teacupful of hot water, and a 
teacupful of wine, if it is claret or white wine, and two 
or three table-spoonfuls if it is sherry or port ; now 
add the fish ; when it begins to simmer throw in some 
bits of butter which have been rolled in flour. When 
the fish is thoroughly cooked (in about fifteen minutes) 
serve it very hot. Stewed fish is much better cooked 
with wine, but is very good without it, in which case 
add a little parsley. Decorate the dish with fsnacy 
cuts of toasted bread. 

Bass a l'Espagnole 

Cut a bass or a flounder into filets as follows: Lay 
the fish on the table, and with a thin, s.harp-bladed 
knife cut down to the bone in the centre of the fish, 
following the course of the backbone from the head 

196 



FOODS 

to the tail. Insert the knife in the cut already made 
and cut towards the fin, keeping the knife pressed 
close against the bone, taking off the whole side-piece, 
or filet. Take care not to mangle the flesh. Cut off all 
four of the side-pieces of the fish in the same way, and 
lay them with the skins downward on the table ; hold- 
ing the end of a filet with the fingers of the left hand, 
lay the blade of the knife flat on the table between the 
skin and meat, cutting from you. If the end is held 
firmly, and the knife laid flat, the whole filet can be 
cut from the skin without mangling it. 

Broil the filets on an oiled gridiron over a moderate 
fire, spreading a little butter, pepper, and salt over 
them as they are cooking. La} r them on a hot dish 
and pour over them a sauce made as follows : Fry the 
slices of a quarter of an onion, partly coloring them 
in a little hot butter ; at the same time a teaspoonf ul 
of flour may be thrown in to receive a little color. 
Pour in now a cupful of stock and a cupful of canned 
tomatoes, season with cayenne pepper and salt, and 
when it has boiled a couple of minutes, and is slightly 
thickened, pour it over the cooked filets without strain- 
ing. Over the top of the dish sprinkle very finely 
minced parsley. Professional cooks sometimes add, 
also, minced mushrooms to the sauce. 

Fish a la Creme 

Boil one pint of rich milk. Mix two table-spoon- 
fuls of flour with the same quantity of butter, and 
add to the milk, with a teaspoonful of salt, a little 
cayenne pepper, half a small onion chopped fine, a 
little parsley, the juice of half a lemon, and two table- 
spoonfuls of sherry. 

Boil and flake one pound of some white fish. Put 
in a buttered baking-dish a layer of sauce, then a layer 

197 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

of fish alternately, finishing with sauce on top. Add 
sifted bread-crumbs, and bake from twenty minutes 




PISH A LA CREME 



to half an hour, 
individual dishes. 



Or it may be baked and served in 
This quantity will fill ten of these. 



Souffle of Shad Roe 

Parboil, in salted water, half the roe of a shad. If 
large, take two-thirds of this quantity. Remove skin 
and separate with a fork. Stir in, while hot, two to 
three table-spoonfuls of butter, two beaten eggs, a tea- 
spoonful of salt and a little cayenne pepper, and set 
to cool. Half an hour before serving stir in lightly 
two table-spoonfuls of sherry, a gill of cream, whipped, 
and the beaten whites of two eggs. Cook covered for 
ten minutes and uncovered for ten minutes or longer, 
and serve immediately, with lemon and fried parsley. 



Sweetbreads 

Professional cooks generally soak sweetbreads for an 
hour in cold water before cooking, for the purpose of 
making them white. The flavor is better, however, 
if they are thrown immediately into boiling salted 
water and cooked rapidly until thoroughly done 
(about twentv minutes). Remove, then, the skin and 

198 



FOODS 

little pipes, sprinkle over pepper and salt, roll them 
in egg, peppered and salted, and then in fine sifted 
cracker-crumbs. Fry by immersion in hot lard, first 
testing it by throwing in a bit of bread, to see if hot 
enough. Serve immediately with either tomato sauce 
(p. 174) or a plain white sauce (see next receipt). A 
circle of rice (boiled in milk) or boiled macaroni, or 
some flowerets of cauliflower, with the white sauce 
poured over both, is very good. Sweetbreads are 
often served with peas. The flavor of sweetbreads is 
much better if they are cooked to completion when 
once begun. It is not so well to parboil and allow 
them to get cold before frying. 

Sweetbreads, with Cream Dressing, on Toast 

Boil a pair of sweetbreads as indicated in the last 
receipt, and, when the} 7 have been skinned and the 
pipes have been removed, cut them into good-sized 
dice. Then mix them with a sauce made as follows : 
Place in a little saucepan butter of the size of a black 
walnut, and when it bubbles throw in a dessert-spoon- 
ful (half an ounce) of flour ; let it cook without col- 
oring, then pour in gradually, stirring with an egg 
whisk, one and a half cupfuls of milk, or half milk 
and half cream ; season it with salt and a suspicion of 
red pepper. This is seasoning enough for any invalid, 
yet sometimes a little nutmeg and sometimes grated 
cheese is also added. When the sauce is smooth mix 
in the sweetbread dice, and when all is thoroughly 
hot serve the sweetbread immediately, poured over 
buttered toast, partially moistened with hot water. 
Decorate the dish with parsley or small leaves, or 
asparagus or cauliflower may be placed around the 

sweetbreads. 

199 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Oysters in Shells or Paper Cases 

Oysters may be served in paper cases, or in shells, 
if convenient. 

Put one quart of oysters (about twenty-five) on the 
fire in their own liquor. The moment they begin to 
boil, turn them into a hot dish through a colander, 
leaving the oysters in the colander. Put into the 
saucepan two ounces of butter (the size of an egg), 
and when it bubbles sprinkle in one ounce (a table- 
spoonful) of sifted flour ; let it cook a minute without 
taking color, stirring it well with a wire egg whisk, 
then add, mixing well, a cupful of the oyster liquor. 
Remove from the fire and mix in the yolks of two 
eggs, a little salt, a very little cayenne pepper, one 
teaspoonful of lemon juice, and one or two gratings of 
nutmeg. Beat it well ; then return it to the fire to 
set the eggs, without allowing it to boil. Put in the 
oysters, place in cases or shells, sprinkle over bread- 
crumbs, and brown slightly with a salamander or hot 
shovel. 

Oyster Croquettes 

Place a pint of oysters (the measure nearly solid 
with oysters) over a fire, with a quantity of their 
own liquor; when they begin to simmer drain them 
quite dry from their liquor (through the colander), 
and cut them into large dice. If the oysters are small, 
cutting them into three or four pieces each will be 
sufficieut. 

Next, place butter the size of a black walnut in a 
little saucepan, and, when it bubbles, throw in a des- 
sert-spoonful of onion, minced fine ; let it fry a couple 
of minutes without taking color ; then add a table- 
spoonful (quarter of a cupful) of flour; let it cook a 
few moments without taking color ; then pour in half 

200 



FOODS 

a cupful of cream or milk, and half a cupful of the 
oyster liquor ; season with salt, cayenne pepper (very 
carefully), and a few dashes of nutmeg. When it is 
evenly mixed and the flour is thoroughly cooked (a 
couple of minutes), take it from the fire, stir in the 
oysters, and set it away to get cold. Mould the cro- 
quettes, roll in egg (slightly seasoned with pepper and 
salt) and sifted cracker-crumbs, and fry them by im- 
mersion in boiling lard. 

They may be served with or without any of the 
sauces which are suitable for fish or meat ; for instance, 
drawn-butter sauce, with either chopped hard-boiled 
eggs or capers mixed in, bechamel sauce, the simple 
brown sauce, etc. 

Serve them hot, directly from the fire. 

Oysters on Toast 

Put into a chafing-dish a table-spoonful of butter, a 
dozen large oysters (with the muscular portion re- 
moved), a saltspoonful of salt, a little pepper, and a 
dash of nutmeg. When thoroughly heated, stir in a 
gill and a half of cream. Pour over hot buttered toast 
and serve immediately. 

This may be varied by the addition of a glass of 
sherry to the above receipt ; or, when the oysters are 
thoroughly heated, the beaten yolks of two eggs may 
be added and one gill of cream. 

This dish is recommended for diabetics, if toast 
made of gluten bread is used. 

i 

Angels on Hoeseback 

This receipt is well known in England, but is prob- 
ably new to most American readers. 

Cut the rind from three very thin slices of bacon. 
Extract the large muscle from three oysters, place 

201 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

one on each slice of bacon, and acid two or three drops 
of lemon juice and a very little cayenne pepper. Roll 
the bacon tightly around the oyster, place it on a 
skewer, fry, and serve each oyster on a small slice of 
toast. They should be served very hot. Or they 
may be left on the skewer and served with hot toasted 
soda-crackers. 



VEGETABLES 

" The sure guide of man and animals," says Liebig, 
" has taught us how to counteract the deficiencies in 
alkalies of veal, fish, and eggs by the addition of vege- 
tables, potatoes, or salad. Kitchen vegetables, in this 
point of view, fill up many blanks." The salts con- 
tained in vegetables are also very useful in the assimi- 
lation of food. 

A Baked Potato 

A potato baked, when properly prepared, is proba- 
bly the most digestible form in which it can be served. 
The excellence of a baked potato depends much upon 
its being served immediately when cooked to a turn. 
A moment underdone and it is indigestible and worth- 
less ; a moment overdone and it has begun to dry. It 
requires about an hour to bake a large potato in a hot 
oven. When served and mashed, the addition of some 
cream and a little salt is an improvement. 

To Boil Potatoes 

Choose those of equal size. Take off a very thin 
peeling, as the best of the potato lies nearest the skin. 
Put them into enough well-salted cold water to cover 
them ; let them boil till thoroughly done, and do 
not let them remain a moment longer. Drain off the 

202 



FOODS 

water, cover them closely, and set the vessel at the 
side of the fire, to allow them to steam for several 
minutes. Keep the potatoes covered while steaming, 
for the purpose of retaining heat enough to draw out 
the moisture. The escaping moisture, though covered, 
will not return to the potatoes. Sprinkle over some 
salt as soon as they are fully steamed. It requires 
about thirty-five minutes to boil medium-sized pota- 
toes. 

A copper saucepan, or an iron pot retaining an even 
heat, should be used for boiling potatoes — never a tin 
saucepan. 

Potatoes a la Creme 

Cut cold boiled potatoes into little square bits or 
dice a third of an inch square; mix them with enough 
white sauce to moisten them, made as follows : Place 
a table-spoonful of butter in a small saucepan, and 
when it bubbles throw in a table-spoonful of flour; 
cook it a minute without coloring, then add a pint 
of milk (or half milk and half cream) ; season with 
a level teaspoonful of salt, a pinch of pepper, and a 
little nutmeg. This will make a pint of cream sauce, 
and will be sufficient for a quart of potatoes. 

Place a little butter or dripping in a frying-pan (or 
saute pan), and, when hot, put in the moistened pota- 
toes ; color them on one side, loosen them from the pan 
with a pancake-turner, turn them like an omelet on a 
platter, and serve. 

Potatoes a la Creme, au Gratin 

Delmonico serves potatoes as prepared in the pre- 
ceding receipt, and, instead of sauteing (or frying) 
them, they are placed in a basin or pudding -dish, 
sprinkled over with cracker-dust and a little grated 

203 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 




cheese, and then colored in the oven. It is perhaps 
better after they are thoroughly heated in the oven 
to color them with a salamander or hot shovel, leaving 
no chance for the potatoes to become dry by too long 
a process of heating. 

A Pretty Spinach Dish 

In picking over the spinach separate the thick stalks 
from the leaves. A bright green color is given to it 
by throwing it into plenty of well-salted water when 
it is boiling very fast. It should be taken out the 

moment it is soft, for al- 
lowing it to remain too 
long will impair its col- 
or. Drain it well, and 
do as you please about 
putting it through a col- 
ander. Just before serv- 
ing, reheat it on the top 
of the range, adding a little butter, pepper, and salt. 
Serve enough for one person on a small square piece 
of toast, flatten the top, and decorate it with some 
finely chopped hard-boiled egg, the yolk thickly sprin- 
kled in the centre and a circle of white around. This 
will resemble a sunflower. 

Spinach Souffle 
Boil a quarter of a peck of spinach, with a saltspoon- 
ful of bicarbonate of soda to keep it green, and a salt- 
spoonful of salt. Squeeze very dry. When cold beat 
it into the beaten yolks of two eggs, with two table- 
spoonfuls of sherry, a little cayenne pepper, a dash 
of nutmeg, if desired, and a gill of whipped cream. 
Twenty-five minutes before serving whip in the beaten 
yolks of four eggs, put a little butter on top, and sift 

204 



A SPINACH SUNFLOWKR 



FOODS 

over it a small teaspoonf ul of granulated sugar. Bake 
from eight to ten minutes covered, and ten minutes 
uncovered. Serve immediately. 

Beets or Carrots a la. Creme 

Boiled beets or carrots, sliced, are mixed in cream 
sauce as described for potatoes d la creme, except that 
in the place of nutmeg a table - spoonful of finely 
minced parsley is added. The appearance of the veg- 
etables is improved by cutting them with fancy veg- 
etable cutters. There must not be too much sauce — 
only a soft coating around each slice of beet or carrot. 

Cauliflower a la Creme 

Cauliflower and the other plants of the cabbage 
family are generally indigestible. They contain, how- 
ever, valuable salts. 

The boiled cauliflower, cut into flowerets, is mixed 
with cream sauce (to which a little of the water in 
which the cauliflower was boiled has been added), as 
described for potatoes d la creme, and, when placed in 
a dish for serving, the top is sprinkled over with rather 
coarse bread-crumbs, which have been colored (sauted) 
in a little butter. 

Sometimes the top is sprinkled with sifted cracker- 
crumbs and grated cheese, and is then colored with a 
red-hot shovel. Served in shells or paper cases, the 
dish is especially attractive. Sometimes the sauce is 
finished by stirring in the beaten white of an egg just 
before it is taken from the fire. It makes also a good 
sauce for asparagus, using for this the water in which 
the asparagus was cooked. 

Peas 
Green peas contain little or no sugar, and may 
therefore be used freely by almost all invalids. They 

205 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

should be shelled and boiled in salted water (in which 
the pods have been previously boiled) until tender, 
drained, and served with a little butter, cream, pep- 
per, and salt. They are excellent cooked and served, 
as in France, with young spring onions, adding a lit- 
tle sugar — one table-spoonful to a quart — and melted 
butter. The English cook them with lettuce leaves, 
mint, and a little sugar. 

When canned green peas are used, they should be 
drained in a sieve as soon as the can is opened, rinsed 
iri warm water, and placed in a saucepan to heat thor- 
oughly. They do not require cooking. Add, before 
Serving, butter, a little salt, and, if desired, pepper and 
chopped parsley. 

Deied Peas 

Dried peas are not very digestible, but may be 
served prepared as follows : Soak one pint of dried 
peas, and boil in salted water until soft; strain; 
add, while hot, one cupful hot water, a little 'stock, 
two ounces butter, a saltspoonful of salt, and some 
pepper. The mixture should be rather highly seasoned 
to be palatable. It may be passed through a colander 
(to look like vermicelli) or through a pastry bag, and 
used as a garnish. 

Stuffed Tomatoes (tV^Cuppinger) 

For eight tomatoes make a stuffing as follows : In- 
gredients — butter, the size of an egg ; half an onion 
cut fine ; three-fourths of a cupful of either chicken 
livers or cold cooked chicken, or meat of any kind, 
chopped fine ; three sprigs of parsley chopped fine ; 
one and a half cupfuls of bread-crumbs, after they 
have been soaked in water and squeezed dry by wring- 
ing in a clean towel ; one large tomato cut fine ; one 

206 



FOODS 

egg; half a saltspoonful of thyme; a pinch of cayenne 
pepper ; salt. 

Place the butter in a saucepan, and when it bubbles 
add the minced onion. When it has colored slightly 
add the meat, bread-crumbs, and all the other ingre- 
dients. 

Fill the tomatoes (with the tops cut off and interior 
partly removed) with this mixture, letting it rise from 
half an inch to an inch above the tomato. 

Place the stuffed tomatoes in a little baking-pan, 
sprinkle cracker-crumbs, also a bit of butter, over each 
one. Bake them in the oven about fifteen or twen- 
ty minutes. Tomatoes should never be cooked or al- 
lowed to stand in a tin, copper, or iron vessel. 

They should be served with a brown sauce made as 
follows : 

Brown Sauce 

This is made with little trouble, although there are 
many kinds of brown sauce which are not so simple. 

In a small saucepan place butter the size of a wal- 
nut, and when it bubbles throw in a table-spoonful of 
minced onion ; when beginning to color add a table- 
spoonful of flour, which allow to color also. Now 
add one and a half or two cupfuls of stock if you have 
it, and, if not, water, and two or three sprigs of pars- 
ley. Let it cook a couple of minutes, season with a 
little pepper and salt, pass it through the gravy- 
strainer, and add one or two table-spoonfuls of almost 
any kind of wine — sherry being generally used. 

Stuffed Peppers (Chef Cuppinger) 

This is an especially nice dish. As a course for a 
luncheon or dinner it may be better than for the in- 
valid. Yet, as an appetizer, it would not be unfit 

207 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

sometimes for the latter. Use the green or red pep- 
pers of round shape ; cut them lengthwise, and re- 
move the interior, seeds and partitions ; cover them 
with cold water and parboil them five minutes. Now 
proceed with them as for stuffed tomatoes, serving 
them also with the brown sauce. 

Care must be taken not to have too much cayenne 
pepper in the stuffing for the peppers. 

Corn Custaed 

Strip the husk and silk from six ears of corn, put in 
boiling water (unsalted), and boil for ten minutes, or 
until tender. Slit the rows of grains on the ears 
lengthwise with a sharp knife, and then pass the back 
of the knife down the rows, removing the inside and 
leaving the outer hull on the cob. Add one table- 
spoonful of flour, a saltspoonful of salt, and a little 
pepper. Beat the yolks and whites of four eggs 
separately. Beat into the yolks one -half pint milk, 
then add the whites, and finally the corn. Put bits of 
butter on top, and bake for half an hour. 

Corn Souffle 

Grate the corn from six ears. Add a teaspoonful 
of salt, a little cayenne pepper, and a table-spoonful 
of flour. Beat the yolks of four eggs ; beat in the 
corn and a pint of cream whipped. At the last mo- 
ment add the beaten whites of four eggs. Pat bits of 
butter on top, and bake from twelve to twenty min- 
utes. Serve immediately. 

Asparagus 

Asparagus is especially recommended for diabetics. 
It should be scraped, the stalks cut even, tied together, 
placed upright in a saucepan of boiling water, and 

208 



FOODS 

cooked until tender. It may be served on a folded 
napkin, or on toast which has been slightly buttered 
and moistened with the water in which the asparagus 
was boiled. This water should be used also in mak- 
ing the white sauce, which is served separately ; or 
plain melted butter may be used instead. 

The tips of the asparagus, not more than an inch 
and a half long, boiled tender in salted water, are often 
relished by invalids, served with chicken, game, etc. 

Celery 

Celery is not always digestible in its raw state, but 
it is a nerve tonic and is appetizing. It should not be 
kept in water, but on ice, and every stalk must be care- 
fully wiped before serving. 

Split and curled, it forms a dainty garnish for 
birds, etc., and it makes an excellent salad. 

Celery may also be parboiled and stewed, and 
served with a brown sauce, using in its preparation 
the water in which the celery was boiled, which will 
be found to contain much of the flavor and essence of 
the vegetable. 

Onions 

These may be boiled or fried, but should be used 
with caution where there is a tendency to inflamma- 
tion or fever. 

Salads 

Salads are recommended for invalids who are able 
to digest them. It should always be remembered that 
some digestions will not tolerate uncooked fruit or 
vegetables. The virtues of salads consist in the fact 
that they are grateful to the palate, thereby stimulat- 
ing the appetite, and also that they are generally cool- 
ing to the blood. 

o 209 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

The constant serving of mayonnaise dressing should 
not be encouraged, but its occasional use, as well as 
the constant use of French dressing, is rarely injurious. 
In preparing all vegetables having considerable pulp — 




A CAULIFLOWER SALAD 



like tomatoes, cauliflowers, etc. — care should be taken 
to marinate them — i.e., to sprinkle them with vinegar 
and salt, and to keep them on the ice for some time 
before serving. 

Meat, lobster, and tish salads should not be offered 
to the invalid, as they are almost invariably indi- 
gestible. 

Lettuce, tomatoes, cauliflowers, asparagus, string- 
beans, cucumbers, beets, celery, and potatoes make ex- 
cellent salads, alone or in combination. Several of 
these vegetables may be combined, marinated, mixed 
with mayonnaise, and placed in the centre of a mould 
of chicken jelly (p. 194), to which a table - spoonful 
of lemon juice or tarragon vinegar, and, if allowed, a 
claret-glass of Madeira, have been added. 

Salads may be garnished with lettuce, cresses, ol- 
ives, etc. A pretty addition is a wreath of nastur- 
tiums, whose seeds add an agreeable pungent flavor. 

210 



FOODS 

Mayonnaise Dressing 

Ingredients : The } r olk of one egg ; half a teaspoon- 
ful of salt; a little cayenne pepper; a teaspoonful and 
a half of vinegar or lemon juice and a gill of olive 
oil. 

Carefully separate the yolk and white of one egg f 
which has been on the ice for an hour. Put the yolk 
in a bowl, which in warm weather should stand in a 
larger bowl of cracked ice. 

Beat the egg moderately, and stir in the salt, a dash 
of cayenne pepper, and, if preferred, a teaspoonful of 
mustard. Some cooks add the yolk of a hard-boiled 
egg, to prevent curdling. Work well together, then 
add, drop by drop, a little oil, alternating, as the mixt- 
ure thickens, with a few drops of vinegar. If too 
much is added at once the mayonnaise will curdle. If 
it does, beat in the yolk of another egg, with salt. 

The secret of making good mayonnaise is to have 
the yolk entirely free from the white of egg (which 
makes it watery), to have the ingredients cold, and to 
mix in the oil slowly. Mayonnaise may be colored 
green with spinach juice, red with the coral of lobster, 
etc., but such fanciful decorations are rarely demanded 
in dishes for an invalid. 

To make mayonnaise without eggs, put a little 
melted aspic jelly (p. 194) in a bowl surrounded by ice, 
whip until light, and add oil, etc., as for a regular 
mayonnaise. 

Mayonnaise may also be made with cream instead 
of oil. 

Sauce Tartar e is prepared by adding to mayonnaise 
dressing a table-spoonful of capers, a few olives (sliced 
or chopped), two small green pickled cucumbers, and, if 
desired, a little spinach coloring. This may be strain- 

211 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

ed before or after the olives and capers are added. If 
used for fish, a little onion juice may be beaten into 
the mayonnaise. 

French Dressing 

Ingredients : Three table-spoonfuls of olive oil ; one 
table-spoonful of vinegar (a little less if the vinegar is 
very strong) ; a saltspoonful of salt ; half asaltspoonf ul of 
pepper ; and, if preferred, an even teaspoonf ul of onion 
minced very fine. The salt, pepper, and vinegar are 
first mixed together; then the oil is mixed in by de- 
grees, and lastly the vinegar. 

Asparagus Jelly 

Ingredients : One pint clear veal stock, in which 
the stalks of one bunch of asparagus have been 
boiled ; one-half box gelatin dissolved in half a cup- 
ful of cold water ; the tips of one bunch of aspara- 
gus parboiled and marinated ; and a little mayonnaise 
dressing. 

Mix stock, while hot, with dissolved gelatin ; strain 
at once through a jelly-bag. 

Pour into a mould, previously wet with cold wa- 
ter, enough jelly to coat the sides. While still half 
firm, arrange the asparagus tips in the mould, with 
a little mayonnaise dressing. Let it harden; then 
fill with more stock, and put on the ice until quite 
firm. 

The mould should be placed for an instant in hot 
water before servin|^~so that the jelly may turn out 
without difficult} 7 ". 

Aspic jelly (p. 194) may be used instead of veal 
stock. It is more highly flavored, but not quite so 

delicate. 

212 



FOODS 

Tomato Jelly 

Ingredients : One can tomatoes ; half a box of gela- 
tin soaked for an hour in half a pint of water ; a tea- 
spoonful of salt ; and some cayenne pepper (of which 
more than a dash is required). 

Bring tomatoes, with salt and pepper, to a boil; 




TOMATO JELLY 



strain through a colander, and, while hot, add gelatin. 
Pass through a jell} 7 - bag, and pour into a mould 
which has been filled with cold water. 

This is a beautiful and delicious dish, prepared in 
a ring mould, garnished with nasturtiums and their 
leaves, and the centre filled with mayonnaise dressing. 



PUDDINGS, ETC. 

Corn Cottage - pudding 

Ingredients : One cupful of corn-meal ; half a cup- 
ful of sugar ; one cupful of milk ; one table-spoonful 
of lard (the size of a small egg) ; three eggs ; one tea- 
spoonful of baking-powder ; a little salt. 

213 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Mix the baking-powder and salt well into the meal ; 
then add the sugar and yolks of the eggs, well beaten 
together, the lard (melted), the milk, and the whites 
of the eggs, which have been beaten to a stiff froth. 
Mix this smoothly, pour it immediately into a but- 
tered tin, and bake about twenty minutes. Take care 
to have the pudding baked just in time to be served. 
It is to be eaten hot with a liquid sauce. The follow- 
ing is a simple one : 

Plain Pudding Sauce 

Ingredients : One pint of water (two cupfuis) ; three- 
fourths of a cupful of sugar ; a piece of butter the size 
of a walnut ; a table-spoonful of corn-starch or flour ; 
flavoring of brandy, rum, lemon, or wine (with or with- 
out a little nutmeg), or of zest and cinnamon. 

"When the water boils, stir in the corn - starch or 
flour (rubbed smooth with a little cold water) and the 
sugar. Boil for four or five minutes, to cook the corn- 
starch or flour thoroughly. Take it from the fire, 
and stir in the butter and flavoring. 

This is a good, plain sauce ; it is improved, however, 
by adding the well-beaten whites of one or two eggs, 
and stirring with the egg whisk for a minute over the 

O Do 

fire to set the egg and make the sauce quite smooth. 



Graham- flour Pudding 

Ingredients: One and a half cupfuis of Graham 
flour ; half a cupful of molasses ; a fourth of a cupful 
of butter ; half a cupful of sweet milk ; one egg ; an 
even teaspoonful of soda ; three-quarters of a cupful 
of English currants or raisins (or both), lightly dusted 
with flour. 

Pour into the flour the molasses, the butter partly 
melted, the egg (beaten), and the fruit. Mix all evenly 

214 



FOODS 

together, then add the soda, dissolved in the milk. 
Steam two and a half or three hours. 

A double tin pail (see cut, p. 99) is best adapted for 
steaming. The water in it should be boiling when 
the pudding is first placed in it, and, when it needs 
replenishing, boiling water should be added, so that it 
should at no time cease boiling. Serve with plain 
sauce (see p. 214). 

Farina Pudding 

Ingredients : One pint of milk ; three-quarters of a 
coffee-cupful of farina ; half a cupful of sugar ; butter 
the size of an egg ; the thin yellow rind of a lemon; 
four eggs. 

When the milk is just boiling add the farina, and 
after it has cooked for a few minutes stir in the sugar, 
lemon peel, and butter; let it cook slowly for half an 
hour, then take it from the fire, and, w T hen slightly 
cooled, stir in smoothly the yolks of two eggs. Take 
out the lemon strips. When the mixture is quite cold, 
stir in lightly the whites of the four eo-srs, beaten to a 
stiff froth, and put it in a high mould or long tin pail, 
prepared as follows : Butter the inside with a glazing- 
brush, throw in a handful of sugar, and leave in the 
mould all the sugar that will stick to the sides ; then 
add the pudding, and place the mould in a basin of 
water, the water more than half the height of the 
mould. Let it cook (au bain-marie) on the top of the 
range for ten minutes ; then put all (including basin 
of water) in the oven to bake for an hour. Serve 
immediately with currant-jellv sauce, or Sauce Burke 
(p. 216). 

Quogue Pudding 

Ingredients : Five Boston soda - crackers, or three- 
fourths of a cupful when rolled ; a quarter of a cup- 

215 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

ful of flour; two eggs; a generous half- cupful of 
milk. 

Koll the crackers, stir in the milk, then the flour 
and eggs (beaten separately). Cover it tightly in a 
mould or small tin pail, and boil it half an hour in a 
large vessel of boiling water. Serve with a hard 
sauce of butter and sugar rubbed to a cream with 
nutmeg sprinkled over, or with Sauce Burke or a cur- 
rant-jelly sauce, or any of the pudding sauces. 

Macaroni Pudding 

is merely a baked custard pudding (p. 227) with 
6"ne- quarter the quantity of fresh -boiled macaroni 
added — of course before the custard is baked. 

Fine Granulated Wheat Pudding 

Ingredients : A scant half-cupful of the wheat ; one 
cupful of milk ; two eggs ; butter the size of a small 
hickory nut; a pinch of salt. 

Bring the milk to a boil, then add the wheat and 
salt, and cook about five minutes. Take it from the 
fire, and add the beaten yolks and the butter. Let it 
get cold, then add the whites of the eggs, beaten to a 
stiff froth. Place it immediately in the oven, and 
cook about twenty minutes. 

In cooking all souffle puddings, the oven should be 
hot, and for the first two or three minutes after the 
pudding is put in, the oven door should be slightly 
open, so that the pudding may become heated through 
before it begins to rise. This pudding may be served 
with or without a sauce. 

Sauce Burke 

Bring a pint of milk to the boiling-point, and then 
stir in a generous teaspoonful of corn-starch (previ- 

216 



FOODS 

ously rubbed smooth with a little of the cold milk) 
and a table-spoonful of sugar. Let it boil for two or 
three minutes, to cook the starch thoroughly, and let 
the mixture get cold. Flavor it with sherry or any 
of the flavorings, and just before serving stir in evenly 
the whites of two eggs beaten to a stiff froth. As the 
egg froth is not cooked, the sauce should be served 
within half an hour. This is a delicious pudding sauce. 

Sauce Guillod 

Whip the whites of two eggs to a very stiff froth ; 
the froth of one egg should more than fill a goblet if 
properly whipped. In a small saucepan put two table- 
spoonfuls of granulated sugar, with two table-spoon- 
fuls of water; let it cook without stirring for three or 
four minutes, or until it forms a syrup, not quite thick 
enough to candy. It must be watched carefully. Stir 
in the egg froth with an egg whisk vigorously for a 
minute at the side of the fire. Stirring will give the 
froth a fine grain. Take it from the range and add 
enough fresh lemon juice to take away the excessive 
sweetness of the meringue. 

Other Souffle or Puffed Puddings 

The last-named pudding (fine granulated wheat) may 
be made as well with rice, farina, granulated oats, 
granulated barley, etc. It is especially good made 
with crushed barley. The barley must be boiled in 
water for twenty minutes before it is added to the 
milk, etc. 

Barley Pudding (simple) 

Ingredients : Two cupful s hot milk ; half a cupful 
of barley ; one table-spoonful sugar and a little salt. 
Into the pint of hot milk stir the barley. Season with 

217 






DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

a pinch of salt ; add a table-spoonful of sugar, and 
place the mixture in the oven for about twenty min- 
utes ; stir it occasionally until the barley has swelled, 
then add half a cupful of hot milk and bake slowly 
for an hour. 

Orange Puddings a la Mutreux 

Soak a cupful of stale bread in half a cupful of milk 
until it can be beaten to a pulp ; mix with it the grated 
rind of one orange, the juice of two, sugar to taste, and 
the yolks of two raw eggs ; butter six small cups, and 
set them in a pan of hot water; then beat the whites 
of two eggs to a stiff froth, mix them lightly with the 
other ingredients, partly fill the cups, and bake the 
puddings, until the egg is cooked, in a moderate oven. 
About fifteen or twenty minutes will be required. 
Serve the puddings hot. 

Lemon (health-food) Pie or Pudding 

For two pies, rub until smooth two heaping table- 
spoonfuls of granulated wheat or barley and one table- 
spoonful of corn -starch (a scant three-quarters of a 
cupful altogether) with six table -spoonfuls (a scant 
half -cupful) of cold water. Add to this two cupfuls 
of boiling water, and let it simmer over the fire three 
or four minutes, until the flour is thoroughly cooked. 
Take it off the fire, and when partly cooled add the 
yolks of three eggs (beaten, with one and a half cup- 
fuls of sugar, to a froth), a piece of butter the size of a 
black walnut, and the grated rind and juice of a large 
lemon. Bake with under crusts, and when done spread 
over the top the beaten whites of three eggs, with a 
heaping teaspoonful of sugar added (after, they are 
beaten) ; color in the oven. 

The pie is much more attractive if the meringue is 

218 



FOODS 

put on in a fancy design, with a paper funnel, made 
with thick writing-paper and a pin, or with the me- 
ringue decorator used by professional cooks. The egg 
froth should be slightly sweetened, and flavored by 
stirring in the yellow cuts of lemon peel, which are 
afterwards removed. The lemon peel gives delicate 
flavor as well as color to the meringue. 

The pie-paste may be made with half Graham flour 
(sifted) and half white flour, a little baking-powder, 
and mixed with cream. The crust may be rubbed 
over with the beaten white of an egg before the 
custard is added, which will prevent it from soak- 
ing into the crust. The custard may be baked in a 
little pudding-dish without pie-crust ; this is preferable, 
as pie-crust rarely suits the digestion of an invalid. 

Graham Sponge - cake 

Ingredients : Six eggs ; three cupf uls sugar ; four 
cupfuls flour (sifted Graham flour recommended) ; one 




GRAHAM SPONUE-CAKK 



cupful of cold water; two teaspoonfuls of baking- 
powder; juice and grated rind of half a lemon; a 
little salt. 

210 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Mix the yeast powder and salt well into the flour, 
sifting it twice ; stir the yolks and sugar to a froth ; 
add first to the flour, etc., the yolks and sugar, then 
the whites (beaten to a stiff froth), and then the lemon 
and water. The materials should be all ready — viz., 
the pans buttered, the flour and sugar sifted, the lem- 
on grated, strained, etc. — so that no time will be lost 
in mixing them together and getting them quickly 
into the oven. 

A sponge-cake is often covered with a wafer thick- 
ness of icing, made by stirring a heaping cupful of 
pulverized sugar into the white of an egg (not pre- 
viously beaten), and flavored with lemon, orange, or 
rum, etc. This receipt cannot be recommended for 
an invalid whose digestion is weak, on account of the 
amount of baking-powder which it contains. 

Dishes of Almond Flour and Meal (for diabetics) 

The writer, after repeated efforts, has failed to pro- 
cure almond flour in this country. It is made in Eng- 
land, and was prepared several years ago by the 
Health-food Company. But the writer is informed 
that as it did not keep — i.e., quickly became rancid — 
it is no longer manufactured here. 

Almond meal, a different preparation, may be ob- 
tained in bottles from the Battle Creek Health-food 
Company, Michigan, and in bulk from certain grocers. 
The writer finds that it may be used for many of the 
receipts in which white water-ground corn-meal is in- 
dicated, since it is very nearly of the same consistency. 

The following receipts, for patients suffering from 
diabetes, will often prevent the craving for forbid- 
den sweets, which is one of the characteristics of that 
disease. 

220 



FOODS 

Almond Pudding 

This receipt is adapted from Mrs. Ernest Hart's 
Diet in Health and Disease, London, 1894, p. 141. 

Ingredients : Three eggs ; a quarter of a pound of 
butter ; a quarter of a pound of almond flour ; a little 
salt ; two and a half tabloids of saccharin (dissolved 
in a table -spoonful of brandy); essence of lemon to 
taste. 

Beat the yolks; beat in the almond flour, the butter 
(warmed), the essence of lemon, and, finally, the stiffly 
frothed whites of the eggs. 

Put into buttered individual moulds, or into a single 
buttered mould, and bake in a quick oven. 

Serve with a hot sauce, made of dry sherry and 
saccharin. 

Almond Bread 

Beat to a froth the yolks of three eggs. Add grad- 
ually two to two and a half ounces of almond meal 
and a little salt. Finally, beat in the whites of three 
eggs, stiffly frothed, and bake immediately in a rather 
tall, square, buttered mould. 

Allow to cool; cut in slices half an inch thick ; place 
these crosswise on a flat plate; and put in a quick 
oven until colored a light brown. Or the almond 
bread may be sliced and toasted and served with but- 
ter. If sweetened, use one-quarter of an ounce of 
saccharin syrup (see p. 56); this makes an excel- 
lent cake. The receipt may be varied by using two 
ounces of almond meal and half an ounce of aniseed. 

Almond Macaroons 

Beat to a froth, separately, the yolks and whites of 
two eggs. Beat gradually into the yolks four ounces 

221 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

x>f almond meal and a little salt. Add a quarter of an 
ounce of saccharin syrup (see p. 56), and beat in, 
finally, the whites of the eggs. Allow a table-spoonful 
of the mixture for each macaroon, and bake immedi- 
ately on buttered paper in a quick oven. 



JELLIES 

In hot weather all dishes made with gelatin require 
more of this ingredient than these receipts call for. 
Gelatin dissolves quickly in a warm temperature. 
The boiling water used should always be "on the first 
boil." 

The flannel jelly -bag should be wrung out in boiling 
water, just before and after using. If the jelly is not 
clear the first time it is strained, wring out the bag in 
boiling water and strain again. 

Jelly moulds should be filled for an hour with cold 
water, which should be poured out just before they 
are required to be used. Jelly hardens much more 
effectually if the mould is placed, while it is warm, 
on the ice. The mould should be dipped in hot wa- 
ter, or surrounded with a hot cloth for an instant be- 
fore serving, in order that the contents may turn out 
readily. 

Fruit juices may be strained through filter-paper 
before using, so that they may not cloud the jelly. 

The writer gives several receipts for colored jellies, 
as, if daintily prepared and served, they sometimes 
stimulate not only the appetite but the interest of the 
patient; and this is especially desirable in cases of 
chronic illness, when it is essential to avoid monotony 
in diet. 

Like plain wine jelly, colored jelly may be served in 
a ring-mould, with whipped cream in the centre ; also 



FOODS 

in individual moulds, representing fruits in their ap- 
propriate coloring, and surrounded with natural leaves ; 
in flower-moulds, etc., etc. These arrangements are 
decorative, and, as a novelty, may attract the invalid. 

There are several American coloring preparations 
which are recommended, and the French Couleurs 
Breton are guaranteed to be harmless. The writer 
finds it impossible to obtain in New York Michie's 
flavoring extracts, made in Toronto, Canada, which are 
transparent and especially suitable for jellies. 

As the quantity required varies with the different 
makes, the amount used is not specified. 

Aspic Jelly (see p. 194). 
Chicken Jelly (see p. 194). 
Tomato Jelly (see p. 213). 
Asparagus Jelly (see p. 212). 

Wine Jelly £No. 1) 

Ingredients: One box gelatin dissolved in a half-pint 
of cold water; one pint sherry ; the strained juice and 
thin shreds of the rind of three lemons ; one and a 
quarter pounds (or less) of cut loaf-sugar ; the well- 
beaten whites and the shells of two eggs ; a small stick 
of cinnamon, and a quart of boiling water. 

Pour the boiling water over the dissolved gelatin, 
stirring well. Add the sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, 
and shreds of lemon peel ; or the lemon zest may be 
obtained by rubbing the lumps of sugar on the lemon. 

Put the Jelly in a porcelain-lined kettle, and bring 
to a boil without stirring. Add shells and beaten 
whites of eggs. Remove from the fire, leave for half a 
minute to settle, and then skim. Add the wine. If 
the wine is not perfectly clear it may be poured in be- 
fore the white of eggs and shells, but it loses strength 

223 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

if so added. Pass the jelly through the bag while 
warm, into moulds, and place on ice. 

Wine Jelly (No. 2) — (without cooking) 

Ingredients : One pint sherry, Madeira, port, or 
champagne ; one pound sugar ; half a package of gela- 
tin dissolved in half a cupful of cold water; one pint 
boiling water; and the strained juice and shreds of 
peel, or zest, of two lemons. 

Add the sugar to the boiling water and stir in the 
dissolved gelatin. Add the lemon juice and wine, and 
strain through a jelly-bag. Mould and put on the ice. 
• Wine jelly whipped until it is a white froth, and 
placed on the ice until very cold, is often relished, as 
it is cooling and refreshing. 

Maeaschino Jelly 

Jelly of maraschino, brandy, noyau, or other liqueur 
may be made by the last receipt, using, instead of the 
wine, a little over half as much liqueur. 

Coffee Jelly (Chef Cuppinger) 

Soak three-quarters of a box of gelatin (or ten 
sheets of the common gelatin) in a half-pint of cold 
water until dissolved ; then add a pint of boiling 
water, two cupfuls of sugar, and one pint of clear, 
strong (so the chef said) coffee. But the coffee need 
not be so very strong. Mould it. Surround coffee 
jelly, when on the platter ready to be served, with 
whipped cream. The sugar may be omitted from the 
jelly, and the cream sweetened. 

Currant Jelly 

Pick out the leaves from the currants, but not all 
the stems. Mash the currants with a potato-masher, 

224 



FOODS 

and cook them enough to free the juice, without add- 
ing any water. Strain the juice, and allow one pound 
of sugar to one pound of juice. Boil the juice fifteen 
minutes after measuring it, and then take it from the 
fire and add the sugar, allowing it to dissolve without 
further boiling or cooking of the juice. When the 
sugar is well dissolved and mixed with the juice, pour it 
into glasses. Fasten the covers when the jelly has 
hardened. 

Currants should not be plucked just after a rain. 

Emerald Jelly 

To one pint of Rhine wine add one pound of sug- 
ar, half a package of gelatin (previously dissolved in 
half a cupful of cold water), one pint of boiling water, 
and the juice and zest of two lemons, strained through 
filter-paper. Prepare like Wine Jelly (No. 2), and add, 
in straining through the jelly-bag, enough green col- 
oring to produce an emerald green. This jelly, served 
in a ring-moulfl, with strawberries or other berries in 
the centre, makes a really beautiful dish. 

Ruby Jelly 
This is prepared in the same manner as emerald 
jelly (see above), except that claret or Burgundy is 
used instead of Rhine wine. It is pretty when served 
in a mould with whipped cream around it. A paler 
red jelly may be made by the use of white wine with 
a little carmine coloring extract. Pink jelly made 
with the pink gelatin is charming moulded in the 
form of roses. 

Amethyst Jelly 

To one pint of Sauterne add one pound of sugar, 
half a package of gelatin (previously dissolved in 
cold water), and one pint of boiling water. 

p 225 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Amethyst jelly is prepared like emerald jelly (see 
above), using Sauterne instead of Rhine wine ; adding 
violet instead of green coloring extract. It should be 
deeper in color than violet jelly (see below), and dif- 
fers from it, of course, in flavor. 

Rose Jelly 

To two cupf uls granulated sugar add a scant cupful 
of cold water and let it stand for an hour. Then put 
it on a hot part of the range (it is well to place it on 
an asbestos mat), where it can boil without burning. 
Do not stir it. Let it boil about twenty minutes, or 
until a teaspoonful dropped into a glass of water falls 
to the bottom in little lumps. It must be tested to 
ensure accuracy. When cooked, add one teaspoonful 
of strained lemon juice, and allow to cool. 

Bring to a boil again and mix in immediately two 
handfuls of fresh, highly perfumed rose petals. Re- 
move from the fire, cover, and infuse for from fifteen 
minutes to half an hour. Strain through a fine sieve. 

Dissolve one-third of a box of gelatin or pink isin- 
glass in a gill of cold water. Add to the syrup half 
a pint of orange juice and half a pint of lemon juice, 
strained through filter-paper, and three table-spoon- 
fuls of good brandy. Pass again through a fine sieve, 
pour into mould (previously wet with cold water), and 
place on the ice for three hours. 

This jelly may be decorated with candied rose 
leaves (petals) ; or a rose and its leaves may be 
moulded in it. (See Violet Jelly, below.) Rose 
jelly is not very difficult to make, and is worth the 
trouble. 

Violet Jelly 

Violet jelly may be made in the same manner, care- 
fully removing the stalks of the violets, and infusing 

226 



FOODS 

the flowers for half an hour. Yiolets may be moulded 
in the jelly, by placing in the mould a thin layer of 
jelly, to which a few drops of violet coloring have been 
added ; then arranging the flowers (which must be 
perfectly fresh) in place, adding a little more jelly to 
set them, and, when the jelly is hardened, gradually 
filling the mould. It may be decorated with fresh or 
candied violets and leaves of angelica. 



CUSTAKDS 

Plain Baked Custard 

A very good custard may be made with a pint of 
milk, two whole eggs, or the yolks of three eggs, and 
a couple of table-spoonfuls of sugar. It may be fla- 
vored with a little nutmeg or extract of lemon. It 
is palatable without flavoring. The eggs and sugar 
are well beaten together before the milk is added. It 
is poured into a small pudding-dish or basin, and this 
is set in a larger basin containing hot water, which 
reaches three-fourths to the top of the pudding-dish. 
The two vessels, one in the other, are then placed in 
the oven until the custard is set (about twenty min- 
utes). As soon as it is set it is done, and the whey 
should not be allowed to separate. This is the best 
way to bake custards. 

Custard a la Morrison 

Make a boiled custard with a pint of milk, the yolks 
of three eggs (if small), and a table-spoonful of sugar. 
The yolks and sugar are beaten together, the milk 
added when warm, and the whole cooked in the 
double boiler. It must be stirred constantly while 
cooking, and the instant noted when it is of exactlv 

227 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

the right thickness, resembling rather thick cream. If 
allowed to remain a moment too long it curdles and is 
spoiled. A chef tells the writer, however, that if a 
custard or puree soup begins to curdle it can be stop- 
ped by pouring in quickly a little cold milk or water, 
and stirring very regularly for a few minutes. When 



<^-t: 




CUSTARD A LA MORRISON 



the smooth boiled custard is cold, and flavored, the 
whites of the eggs, beaten to a stiff froth, are mixed 
in smoothly with the egg whisk. 

The top of the custard may be decorated with a lit- 
tle of the egg froth mixed with a little bright red 
jelly, with the aid of a paper funnel or meringue dec- 
orator, or the white, for decorating, may be stirred 
with zest, or thin slices of lemon peel (without white), 
and slightly sweetened. This will give a delicate 
green color to the meringue as well as a delicious 
flavor. The lemon strips are to be removed. The 
custard should be served soon after the beaten white 

228 



FOODS 

of the egg is mixed in, as the egg froth is not cooked, 
and is therefore liable to fall. 

Tapioca or Sago Custard 

is merely an addition to a plain custard (before it is 
baked) of more or less tapioca or sago after it has been 
soaked an hour or more in hot water. 

The two following are from Gouffe's Receipts for 
the Sick, called by him " Petit pot de creme, au cafe" 
and " au chocolat" It may not taste as well under 
the common name of 

A Cup of Coffee Custard 

Beat well in a coffee-cup or small fancy pudding- 
dish the yolks of two fresh eggs and a teaspoonful of 
sugar. Then add four table-spoonfuls each of fresh- 
made, clear coffee, and of milk. Set the cup into a 
basin of hot water so that the water will reach nearly 
to the top of the cup ; put this into the oven and cook 
about fifteen minutes, or until the custard is set with- 
out curdling. To be served hot or cold. 

A Cup of Chocolate Custard 

Stir a heaping teaspoonful of grated chocolate and 
two table - spoonfuls of milk over the fire until per- 
fectly smooth; then add six table -spoonfuls of rich 
milk, and the yolks of two eggs which have been well 
beaten, with a teaspoonful of sugar. Cook as coffee 
custard, and serve either hot or cold. 

Granulated or Crushed Barley, Oat, or Wheat 

Custard 

The grain is thrown into salted boiling water and 
cooked fifteen or twenty minutes, or until thoroughly 

229 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

done. It is then drained, and a few table-spoonfuls 
(not too much) are added to a plain baked custard 
(p. 227) before it is baked. Or the cooked grain may 
be substituted for rice in rice-pudding (p. 177). 

Rennet Custard 

A very palatable and digestible dish for an invalid. 

Sweeten some milk to taste ; place it over the fire 
until lukewarm ; remove it from the fire and mix in it 
thoroughly some liquid rennet (it comes prepared for 
custards, and may be purchased at the druggist's), in 
the proportion of a table-spoonful of rennet to a quart 
of milk — perhaps a very little more rennet in winter. 
Let the milk stand lukewarm until a consistent curd 
is formed, then put it in a cold place until served. 

The milk should be prepared in the dish in which it 
is to be served ; for, if it is disturbed, the whey will 
separate, which must be avoided. It is served with a 
little cream, or whipped cream poured over it, and 
may be garnished with a few preserved strawberries. 

The milk may be flavored with a very little brandy, 
rum, curacoa, or maraschino before the rennet is added. 
In making junket for the diabetic, if saccharin be 
added to the milk, the rennet will not make, curds. 

Caramel Custard 

Make the caramel by putting two table-spoonfuls of 
brown sugar and a teaspoonful of water over the fire 
and stirring it until it becomes dark brown — not black ; 
then add a dessert-spoonful of water. It will make a 
thick syrup. Pour this into the bottom of two cups 
or little fancy moulds, and turn it around until it 
covers the bottom and sides. 

For the custard, beat well three eggs (yolks and 
whites), with a teaspoonful of white sugar and some 

230 



FOODS 

very thin shreds of lemon peel; then stir in a cupful 
of milk or thin cream which has been brought to the 
scalding, not boiling, point over the fire. 

Fill the cups or moulds (previously lined with the 
caramel) with the custard ; place them in a basin of 
hot water, the water reaching nearly to the top of the 
moulds, and bake them in the oven until the custard is 
set, or feels firm to the finger — no longer. They will 
set in twelve or fifteen minutes. The custards may be 
served either hot or cold — although they are generally 
served cold — turned from the mould when just ready 
to be served. 

Charlotte-russe 

Bring a cupful, or half a pint, of milk almost to the 
boiling-point, and stir in the yolks of four eggs, previ- 
ously well beaten, with three table-spoonfuls of sugar. 
Stir this carefully over the fire (in a double kettle), 
making a boiled custard. Care must be taken that it 
does not curdle or become too thick. Take it from 
the fire and add to it a quarter of a boxful of gelatin, 
previously dissolved, in a w T arm place, in enough milk 
to cover it. Add, when the custard is a little cooled, two 
or three table-spoonfuls of best sherry wine. Set this 
custard on ice, or in a cold place, until partly congeal- 
ed, and then stir into it, evenly and carefully, a quart 
of cream whipped to a stiff froth. 

This may be poured into a charlotte pan, into little 
paper cases lined with lady's-fingers, or into a pretty 
glass dish with a row of lady's-fingers around the 
sides, and served in the same dish. 

If sponge-cake is objectionable to the invalid, the 
creamy custard may be served alone, in the paper 

cases. 

231 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 



BLANC-MANGE 

Sea-moss Blanc-mange 

Wash one and a half ounces of Iceland or Irish moss 
in cold water, then place it over the fire in a cupful 
(one-half pint) of fresh, cold water. Stir it occasional- 
ly until soft ; add then one and a half cupfuls of warm 
milk and three lumps of sugar. Place the little sauce- 
pan containing these ingredients in a second larger 
saucepan half filled with boiling water, and let the 
water boil until the moss is entirely dissolved. Pour 
this into teacups or little moulds previously wet with 
cold water. Turn them from the moulds when hard- 
ened and ready to serve, and serve each mould with 
three or four table-spoonfuls of cream poured around 
it, and perhaps a preserved strawberry half buried on 
top ; or a fruit compote of any kind may be poured 
around the blanc-mange. 

CoEN-STABCH BlANC-MANGE 

Allow three table-spoonfuls, or three-quarters of a 
cupful, of Duryea's corn-starch to a quart of milk. Stir 
enough of the cold milk into the corn-starch to make 
a soft, smooth paste ; bring the remainder of the milk 
to the boiling-point, stir in the paste, and boil it about 
three minutes, taking care that it does not burn. Pour 
it into cups or moulds previously wet with cold water, 
and set it in a cold place to harden. Serve with sweet- 
ened cream or a little soft-boiled custard, and pre- 
served strawberries for a garnish. 



FOODS 




ICE-CREAM FREEZER AND MOULD 



ICES, MOUSSES, AND PARFAITS 



Ices 

Ices are not difficult to make, and there are many 
excellent patent freezers, which diminish the trouble 
of the freezing. 

The .preparation of the mould, however, requires 
great care. When the cream has been poured into 
the mould, lay over the top a sheet of tissue-paper, 
and put on the cover, which should fit tightly. Then 
rub butter around all the edges wherever it is possible 
for the salt to enter. 

Pack the mould in ice and salt. The ice should be 
pounded rather fine — the finer the ice the more quick- 
ly the cream will freeze. If for ice-cream, put in the 
ice in alternate layers with rock-salt, in the proportion 
of about one part of salt to three of ice, packing as 
solidly as possible. Mousses and parfaits take two 
parts of ice to one of salt. Freeze slowly or fast as 

233 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

the receipt requires. Cream, frozen slowly, has a finer 
grain. 

When the ice-cream is frozen, pack in ice and salt ; 
cover with a cloth, and leave for some time before 
serving, taking care that the melted ice does not rise 
above the opening of the mould. The bung near the 
bottom of the ice pail should be left open, to allow 
the water to escape. 

In removing cream, wipe the mould carefully with 
a damp cloth, going over it twice to avoid all danger 
from the salt. If warm water is employed to un- 
mould ice-cream, use it quickly, to avoid melting the 
cream. It should not be used with mousses or par- 
faits, as their texture is too delicate to admit of it. If 
the mould when removed from the freezer is wiped 
with cold water and allowed to stand for a few min- 
utes, mousses and parfaits will generally turn out 
without difficulty. 

In making ices, sugar syrup instead of sugar should 
always be used, except in mousses, where finely pow- 
dered or confectioner's sugar is required. 

Mousses are made of frozen whipped cream, with 
the addition of flavoring, fruit-pulp, etc. They should 
not be stirred while freezing. The secret of success 
in their preparation lies in having the whipped cream 
very dry, the sugar very fine, and in freezing them 
not too long (though, as their texture is closer, they 
require longer freezing than parfaits), and in using a 
great deal of salt in proportion to the ice. 

Parfaits are made by the addition of sugar-syrup 
to the yolks of eggs, cooked until they form a thick 
cream, and then whipped until they are cold. Drained 
whipped cream and flavoring are then added, and the 
light, spongy mixture is placed in a mould (the joints 
thoroughly protected with butter), packed in ice and 

234 



FOODS 

salt (in the same proportion as for mousses), covered 
with a cloth, and left for an hour or longer, according 
to the size of the mould. 

It is a mistake to leave mousses and parfaits in the 
ice too long. 

Rahnhofer, an authority on this subject, says that 
mousses should be packed in ice in the proportion of 
one hour for each quart. Parfaits a little less — one 
hour and a half for two quarts. 

Frozen Whipped Cream 

There is no more agreeable or nutritious dessert for 
an invalid than whipped cream, either served simply 
with wafer biscuits or some very thin slices of sponge- 
cake placed around it, to form a charlotte-russe ; or in 
a ring-mould with a stewed pear, peach, apple, or some 
wine-jelly, for a centre. 

The double cream is preferable, as it whips more 
readily and leaves no liquid residue. The cream 
(thick) is sweetened and flavored with any of the 
flavoring extracts (except vanilla), or any of the sweet 
wines or liqueurs. It is delicious merely sweetened. 
The cream froths more readily when quite cold. The 
cream - whipper is recommended, though vigorous 
whipping with a silver fork will accomplish the same 
result. Place the cream froth, as soon as whipped, on 
the ice, to remain until served ; or add a little more 
susrar and freeze. 



•&' 



Ice-cream (No. 1) 

Ice-cream will sometimes be acceptable to an invalid 
sutfering from fever or inflammation of the stomach 
when no other nourishment can be tolerated. In such 
cases it is best to use pure cream, without flavoring, 
and either unsweetened or with verv little su^ar. 

235 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

The simplest and richest ice-cream is pure cream 
sweetened to taste, and flavored with fleur d? orange, 
extract of lemon, or a very little sherry, and frozen. 
It is still better to whip it and freeze the whipped 
cream. If it is desirable that the cream be not so 
rich, a simple frozen boiled custard is very good. 

The custard is made by adding the yo\\is, of two or 
three eggs, well beaten, with a table-spoonful of sugar, 
to a pint of fresh milk. This is stirred in a double 
boiler, or in a tin pail placed in a second vessel con- 
taining boiling water, until it just begins to thicken. 
It is then removed at once (to prevent curdling), and 
seasoned as described for whipped cream. The iced 
custard is improved by stirring in it, when partly con- 
gealed in the freezer, more or less whipped cream. 
This, however, adds to its richness. 

Ice-cream (No. 2) 

Beat well together the yolks of five eggs and half a 
cup of sugar or maple syrup. Cook ait bain-marie, or 
in a vessel inside of another vessel filled with boiling 
water, stirring all the time until it is a soft custard — 
not longer. 

Let it get cold. Flavor with two table-spoonfuls of 
maraschino or noyau, with fruit, or with almond ex- 
tract ; or add a cupful of boiled rice with four table- 
spoonfuls of sherry ; or use any flavoring except va- 
nilla. 

Stir slightly into this mixture a quart of double 
cream whipped. Put into mould and freeze. 

Frozen Peaches 

A mixture of sweetened fresh peaches, pared, stoned, 
and quartered, with or without cream mixed with 
them, and frozen in a mould (without stirring the 

236 



FOODS 

mixture), is a delicious dish. Canned peaches or pears 
may also be frozen in this way. 

Lemon (and other) Ices 

Ingredients : Three pints water ; one pound sugar ; 
the juice of seven lemons ; the thin yellow rind of four 
lemons ; and the whites of four eggs. 

Boil three pints of water and a pound of sugar until 
they are reduced to a scant quart. Skim and allow 
to cool. 

Add the lemon juice and peel and infuse for one 
hour. Strain into the freezer and begin to freeze. 
When the mixture commences to set, stir in lightly 
but thoroughly the whites of the eggs. Freeze and 
pack. 

Almost all water ices are made as above ; the lemon 
being often retained, and strawberries, raspberries, 
pineapples, or oranges added. 

Roman Punch 

Roman punch, which is made by adding two gills 
of rum to a quart of lemon or pineapple ice, is ad- 
mirable for restoring the tone of the stomach after 
fever, etc. ; but care should be taken that grated lem- 
on peel has not been used in making the ice. 



MOUSSES 

Mousse of Strawbeeeies a la Gabeielle 

Pass one quart of strawberries through a fine sieve, 
and sprinkle with pulverized sugar. Whip one quart 
of double cream until it is a stiff froth. Add straw- 
berry pulp, put in mould, and pack in ice for an hour 
and a half to two hours. 

237 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Two table-spoonfuls of liqueur may be added to this 
mousse. 

Mousse of Chocolate 

Prepare as above, using one ounce of chocolate 
made into a paste with cream, and sugar to taste. To 
a pint of double cream, whipped, add the chocolate 
paste. Freeze as above. 

Mousse au Kirsch 

Whip a pint of double cream very stiff. Whip in 
lightly four table-spoonfuls of confectioner's sugar and 
two table -spoonfuls of kirsch. Turn into a mould, 
which may be first decorated with candied cherries 
and w r ith their leaves (in angelica), and pack in ice 
and salt for an hour to an hour and a half. 

Mousses of Fruit 

may be made (by the first receipt given above) of 
raspberries, apricots, peaches, pineapples, etc. 

PAEFAITS 

Parfait of Tea 

Put the yolks of six eggs in a saucepan and add 
slowly one gill of strong tea, with an equal quantity 
of thick sugar syrup. Stir constantly over a gentle 
fire until the mixture becomes smooth and foamy. 

Remove from the fire and beat with an egg whisk 
until cold. Then add a quart of double cream thor- 
oughly whipped. Turn into mould, close joints with 
butter, surround and cover with ice and salt — two 
parts of ice to one of salt. Put a cloth over the whole 
and let it freeze from an hour and a half to two hours. 
There is not much tea in this parfait, but it should 
only be administered occasionally to an invalid. 

238 



FOODS 

Parfait of Coffee 

is made by the last receipt, using, instead of the tea, 
four table -spoonfuls of black coffee, and a smaller 
quantity — a pint to a pint and a half — of double 
cream, whipped dry. Freeze as above. 

Parfait of Chocolate 

requires two ounces of unsweetened chocolate and a 
pint and a half of cream. 

Parfaits may be made by the first receipt, using 
chestnuts, macaroons (rolled tolerably fine), or the 
juice of fresh fruits instead of the tea. 



FRUITS 

Nothing is more simple, wholesome, and palatable 
than a baked apple served with cream and sugar. The 
canned peaches are generally heavy for an invalid. 
Tin -canned tomatoes and acid fruits are forbidden 
entirely by many physicians, the tin having a de- 
leterious effect on the acid of the vegetable or 
fruit. 

Baked Apples 

Baked apples are prepared as follows : With a 
sharp - pointed knife, or an apple -corer, remove the 
cores without breaking the apples. Set them in a pan 
just large enough to hold them. Fill the apertures 
with sugar, and a small stick of cinnamon, or thin 
yellow slices of lemon rind may be inserted also. 
Pour a half -cupful of water into the pan and bake the 
apples until tender. They are oftener cooked uncov- 
ered, yet are very good covered with a basin and al- 

239 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

lowed to cook in the steam. For a change the ap- 
ples may be pared. Serve with cream and sugar. 

Baked apples and stewed prunes are probably the 
most wholesome sweetmeats for an invalid, and may 
be served at any meal. 

Apple Sauce 

Pare and core apples (pippins preferred) ; neatly 
and evenly quarter them; place in a porcelain pan 
with enough cold water to barely cover them. Sug- 
ar to taste is added, and perhaps raisins, slices of 
lemon, and sometimes a few sticks of cinnamon 
may also be added. Cook them slowly, and the mo- 
ment the apple quarters are tender when pierced 
with a fork they are done, ready to be poured into 
some pretty glass dish, and allowed to get cold before 
serving. 

Sometimes the apple is stirred into a half puree, or 
pulp, and sometimes it is passed through a sieve. 

A good apple sauce is made by adding to the apple 
which has been passed through the sieve, and sweet- 
ened to taste, the beaten whites of eggs just before it 
is served — say the whites of two eggs, stiffly beaten, to 
a pint of apple pulp. 

Pear (or other Fruit) Compote 

A compote is merely the fruit (pear, peach, apple, 
plum, etc.) boiled whole with only enough water to 
cover it, and sweetened to taste. The fruit is only 
cooked until tender. Pears are generally selected for 
compotes when not quite ripe. 

The California dried pears, stewed until tender, and 
sweetened to taste, are excellent for an invalid when 
the fresh pears cannot be obtained. 

240 



FOODS 

Compotes are often served in a circle of rice (boiled 
in milk), or the rice may be placed in the centre and 
the fruit around it. 

These may be prepared 
without sugar. 

In cases where sugar 
is injurious, Dr. Foth- 
ergill recommends, for 
cooked fruit, that the 
fruit be placed in the 
oven without sugar, and 
that as much bicarbo- 
nate of soda, or (in cases 
of gout) bicarbonate of 
potash, as will cover a 

quarter of a dollar, be added to each pound of fruit. 
This will neutralize the acid of the fruit. 




COMPOTE OF PEARS 



PRESERVED FRUITS 



Orange Marmalade 

This marmalade furnishes one of the best and cheap- 
est confitures which can be made in the large cities, 
and a very little of it, used for garnishing a blanc- 
mange, etc., or for spreading on bread-and-butter, is 
not unwholesome for a convalescent. It is made in 
January or February, when oranges are cheap, and 
the expense will not be over fifteen or twenty cents a 
glass. 

Allow one lemon to six oranges. Squeeze all the 
juice possible from the fruit. Quarter the skins, and 
boil them slowly two hours and a half ; then scrape 
out the soft pulp from the inside, to be thrown away 
and cut the outside skin into shreds 
q 241 



Weigh the 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

juice and skin-shreds together, and allow three-fourths 
of a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. W hen the 
fruit and sugar are mixed, let them simmer for an 
hour. If preferred, the whole pulp of the fruit may 
also be added. It does not make so clear a preserve, 
jet it is added in the Dundee marmalade. 

Strawberry Preserves 

Allow three-fourths of a pound of sugar to a pound 
of fruit. Let the sugar simmer twenty minutes, add- 
ing perhaps a table-spoonful of water to start it ; then 
add the strawberries ; let them come merely to a boil ; 
then cover, and place them at the back of the range 
to steam five minutes. Put them into glass jars while 
still scalding hot, and seal them hermetically. 

Currant Preserves 

Allow one pound of sugar to one pound of currants. 
Free the currants from the stems, and cook them fif- 
teen minutes; then acid the sugar and a few raisins, 
and, as soon as the preserve comes to the boiling-point 
again, pour into glass jars and seal tightly. 

These receipts for preserved fruits are given because 
those made at home are less adulterated, and therefore 
less injurious, than those obtained elsewhere ; but they 
are not recommended for the use of an invalid, being 
generally indigestible. Compotes and similar prepara- 
tions of fresh fruit are, as a rule, more wholesome. 



BILLS OF FARE FOR CONVALESCFXTs 

The following bills of fare are given as suggestions, 
although the diet is suitable only for patients taking 
a certain amount of exercise and requiring generous 
fare. 

An invalid confined to his bed should live as simply 
as possible, partaking of few sweets, very little meat, 
and only the more digestible of the dishes here indi- 
cated. 

Breakfast (at S o'clock) 

Mould of Cracked Wheat and Cream. 

Bread Sippets. 

A Cup of " Cambric Tea " — i. e., Hot Water with Sugar 

and Cream. 

Dinner (at 1 or 2 o'clock) 

Barley Soup. 

Chicken Timbale with Asparagus Tips. 

A Chocolate Custard 

Tea (at 6 o'clock) 

Rice Cone with Hot Sauce. 

Graham- bread. 

Stewed Apples. 

Grape Juice. 

243 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Breakfast 

A Slice of Boston Brown Bread with Cream poured 

over it. 

A Poached Egg on Toast. 

An Orange. 

A Glass of Milk. 

Dinner 

A Fricassee of Chicken, Potatoes d la Crime. 

Lettuce dressed with the Sauce of the Fricassee and 

a Few Drops of Vinegar. 

Graham-flour Pudding, Sauce Burke. 

Tea * 

A Macaroni Omelet. 

A Pear Compote. 

Almond Milk. 



Breakfast 

Oatmeal Porridge. 

Oysters on Toast. 

A Baked Apple. 

A Cup of Hot Water. 

Dinner 

Chestnut Soup. 

A Lamb or Mutton Chop with Baked Potatoes^ 

A Spinach Souffle. 

Wine Jelly. 

Tea 

Rice Croquettes (No. 1). 

Prune-pudding. 

Barley Gruel. 

244 



BILLS OF FARE FOR CONVALESCENTS 



Breakfast 

A Chicken Croquette with Peas. 

Graham Wafers. 

Cambric Tea. 

Dinner 

Cream of Asparagus Soup. 

Boiled Fish. Stuffed Tomatoes. 

Cauliflower Salad, 

A Banana. 

Tea 

Barley-pudding, Sauce Burke. 
A Cup of Chocolate. 



Breakfast 

A Sweetbread with Boiled Rice, Cream Sauce. 

Graham-bread. 

Fruit. 

A Cup of Hot Water. 

Dinner 

Yeal Soup. 

Boiled Chicken and Macaroni. 

Cauliflower an gratin. 

A Mousse of Strawberries. 

Tea 

Oysters on Toast. 
Rice-pudding. 

Farina Gruel. 
245 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 



Breakfas 



T 



Boiled Eggs. 

Batter Bread. 

Baked Apple and Cream. 

A Cup of Cereal Coffee. 

Dinner 

Chicken-bone Soup. 
A Breast of Prairie-chicken. Mashed Potatoes. 

Corn Custard. 
Coffee Jelly. 

Tea 

Asparagus Jelly. 
Caramel Custard. 
A Glass of Milk. 



APPENDIX 



Extract from an Article on the Effects of Tea and Coffee 
on the System, also on Count Rumford's Substitute for 
Tea, by Mr. Mattieu Williams. 

(Published in Knowledge ; republished in the Popular Science Monthly of 

December, 1884.) 

" Take eight parts by weight (say ounces) of meal 
(Kumford says ' wheat or rye meal/ and I add,, or oatmeal) 
and one part of butter. Melt the butter in a clean iron 
frying-pan, and when thus melted sprinkle the meal into 
it ; stir the whole briskly with a broad wooden spoon or 
spatula till the butter has disappeared and the meal is of 
a uniform brown color like roasted coffee, great care be- 
ing taken to prevent burning on the bottom of the pan. 
About half an ounce of this roasted meal, boiled in a pint 
of water, and seasoned with salt, pepper, and vinegar, 
forms 'burned soup,' much used by the wood-cutters of 
Bavaria, who work in the mountains far away from any 
habitations. . . . The rye bread, which, eaten alone or 
with cold water, would be very hard fare, is rendered 
palatable and satisfactory. Count Kumford thinks also 
more wholesome and nutritious, by the help of a bowl of 
hot soup, so easily prepared from the roasted meal. He 
tells us that this is not only used by the wood-cutters, 
but that it is also the common breakfast of the Bavarian 
peasant, and adds that 'it is infinitely preferable, in all 

247 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

respects, to that most pernicious wash, tea, with which 
the lower classes of the inhabitants of Great Britain 
drench their stomachs and ruin their constitutions/ He 
adds that, ' when tea is taken with a sufficient quantity 
of sugar and good cream, and with a large quantit}^ of 
bread and butter, or with toast and boiled eggs, and, 
above all, when it is not drunk too hot, it is certainly less 
unwholesome ; but a simple infusion of this drug, drunk 
boiling hot, as the poor usually take it, is certainly a 
poison, which, though it is sometimes slow in its opera- 
tion, never fails to produce fatal effects, even in the 
strongest constitutions, where the free use of it is con- 
tinued for a considerable length of time/ 
* ' ' This may appear to many a very strong condemnation 
of their favorite beverage ; nevertheless, I am satisfied 
that it is perfectly sound. This is not an opinion hastily 
adopted, but a conclusion based upon many observations, 
extending over a long period of years, and confirmed by 
experiments made upon myself. 

"The Pall Mall Gazette of August 7th says : < There 
is balm for tea-drinkers in one of Mr. Mattieu Williams's 
" Science Notes " in the Gentleman's Magazine/ This is 
true to a certain extent. I referred to the Chinese as 
habitual drinkers of boiled water, and suggest that this 
may explain their comparative immunity from cholera, 
where all the other conditions for a raging epidemic are 
fulfilled. It is the boiling of the water, not the infusion 
of tea-leaves therein, to which I attribute the destruction 
of the germs of infection. 

"In the note which follows, I proposed an infusion of 
fried or toasted bread - crumbs, oatmeal, maize, wheat, 
barley, malt, etc., as a substitute for the tea, the deep 
color of the infusion (poured off from the grounds in this 
case) serving to certify the boiling of the water. Rum- 
ford's burned soup, taken habitually at breakfast or other 
meals, would answer the same purpose, with the further 
advantage to poor people of being, to a certain extent, a 

248 



APPENDIX 

nutritions soup as well as a beverage. All that is nutri- 
tious in porter is in this, minus the alcoholic drug and 
its vile companion, the fusel- oil. 

" The experience of every confirmed tea-drinker, when 
soundly interpreted, supplies condemnation of the bever- 
age ; the plea commonly and blindly urged on its behalf 
being, when understood, an eloquent expression of such 
condemnation. ' It is so refreshing ' ; ' I am fit for noth- 
ing when tea-time comes round until I have had my tea, 
and then I am fit for anything.' The ' fit-f or-nothing ' 
state comes on at 5 p.m., when the drug is taken at 
the orthodox time, or even in the early morning, in the 
case of those who are accustomed to have a cup of tea 
brought to their bedside before rising. With blindness 
still more profound, some will plead for tea by telling 
that by its aid one can sit up all night long at brain-work 
without feeling sleepy, provided ample supplies of the in- 
fusion are taken from time to time. 

" It is unquestionably true that such may be done ; 
that the tea-drinker is lanquid and weary at tea-time, 
whatever be the hour, and that the refreshment produced 
by 'the cup that cheers ' and is said not to inebriate, is 
almost instantaneous. 

" What is the true significance of these facts? 

" The refreshment is certainly not due to nutrition, 
not to the rebuilding of any worn-out or exhausted 
organic tissue. The total quantity of material conveyed 
from the tea -leaves into the water is ridiculously too 
small for the performance of any such nutritive function; 
and, besides this, the action is far too rapid, there is not 
sufficient time for the conversion of even that minute 
quantity into organized working tissue. The action can- 
not be that of a food, but is purely and simply that of a 
stimulating or irritant drug, acting directly and abnor- 
mally on the nervous system. 

" The five - o'clock lassitude and craving are neither 
more nor less than the reaction induced by the habitual 

249 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

abnormal stimulation ; ,or otherwise, and quite fairly, 
stated, it is the outward symptom of a diseased condition 
of brain produced by the action of a drug ; it may be but 
a mild form of disease, but it is truly a disease neverthe- 
less. 

" The active principle which produces this result is the 
crystalline alkaloid, the theine, a compound belonging to 
the same class as strychnine and a number of similar 
vegetable poisons. These, when diluted, act medicinally, 
that is, produce disturbance of normal functions as the tea 
does, and, like theine, most of them act specially on the 
nervous system; when concentrated they are dreadful 
.poisons, very small doses producing death. 

" The non-tea-drinker does not suffer any of these five- 
o'clock symptoms, and, if otherwise in sound health, 
remains in steady working condition until his day's work 
is ended and the time for rest and sleep arrives. But 
the habitual victim of any kind of drug or disturber of 
normal functions acquires a diseased condition, displayed 
by the loss of vitality or other deviation from normal 
condition, which is temporarily relieved by the usual 
dose of the drug, but only in such wise as to generate a 
renewed craving. I include in this general statement 
all the vice-drugs (to coin a general name), such as alco- 
hol, opium, tobacco (whether smoked, chewed, or snuff- 
ed), arsenic, hashish, betel-nut, coca-leaf, thorn-apple, 
Siberian fungus, mate, etc., all of which are excessive- 
ly ' refreshing ' to their victims, and of which the use 
may be, and has been, defended by the same argu- 
ments as those used by the advocates of habitual tea- 
drinking. 

" Speaking generally, the reaction or residual effect of 
these on the system is nearly the opposite of that of their 
immediate effect, and thus larger and larger doses are 
demanded to bring the system to its normal condition. 
The non-tea-drinker, or moderate drinker, is kept awake 
by a cup of tea or coffee taken late at night, while the 

250 



APPENDIX 

hard drinker of these beverages scarcely feels any effect, 
especially if accustomed to take it at that time. 

" The practice of taking tea or coffee by students, in 
order to work at night, is downright madness, especially 
when preparing for an examination. More than half of 
the .cases of break-down, loss of memory, fainting, etc., 
which occur during severe examinations, and far more 
frequently than is commonly known, are due to this. 

" I frequently hear of promising students who have 
thus failed, and, on inquiry, have learned — in almost 
every instance — that the victim has previously drugged 
himself with tea or coffee. Sleep is the rest of the 
brain ; to rob the hard-worked brain of its necessary rest 
is cerebral suicide. 

" My old friend, the late Thomas Wright, was a victim 
of this terrible folly. He undertook the translation of 
the Life of Julius Ccesar, by Napoleon III., and to do 
it in a cruelly short time. He fulfilled his contract by 
sitting up several nights successively by the aid of strong 
tea or coffee (I forget which). I saw him shortly after- 
wards. In a few weeks he had aged alarmingly, and had 
become quite bald ; his brain gave way and never recov- 
ered. There was but little difference between his age 
and mine, and but for this dreadful cerebral strain, ren- 
dered possible only by the alkaloid (for otherwise he 
would have fallen to sleep over his work, and thereby 
saved his life), he might still be amusing and instructing 
thousands of readers by fresh volumes of popularized 
archaeological research. 

" I need scarcely add that all I have said above applies 
to coffee as to tea, though not so seriously in this coun- 
try [England]. The active alkaloid is the same in both, 
but tea contains, weight for weight, about three times as 
much as coffee. In this country we commonly use about 
fifty per cent, more coffee than tea to each given meas- 
ure of water, and thus get about half as much alkaloid. 
On the Continent they use about double our quantity 

251 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

(this is the true secret of 'coffee as in France '), and 
thus produce as potent an infusion as our tea. 

" The above remarks are exclusively applied to the 
habitual use of these stimulants. As medicines, used 
occasionally and judiciously, they are invaluable, provid- 
ed always that they are not used as ordinary beverages. 
In Italy, Greece, arid some parts of the East, it is cus- 
tomary when anybody feels ill with indefinite symptoms 
to send to the druggist for a dose of tea. From what I 
have seen of its action on non-tea-drinkers, it appears to 
be specially potent in arresting the premonitory symp- 
toms of fever, the fever headache, etc. 

" It is strange that any physiologist should claim this 
diminution of the normal waste and renewal of tissue as 
a merit, seeing that life itself is the product of such a 
change, and death the result of its cessation. But, in 
the eagerness that has been displayed to justify existing 
indulgences, this claim has been extensively made by 
men who ought to know better than admit such a plea. 

" I speak, of course, of the habitual use of such drugs, 
not of their occasional medicinal use. The waste of the 
body may be going on with killing rapidity, as in fever, 
and then such medicines may save life, provided always 
that the body has not become ' tolerant ' of or partially 
insensible to them by daily usage. I once watched a 
dangerous case of typhoid fever. Acting under the in- 
structions of skilful medical attendants, and aided by a 
clinical thermometer and a seconds-watch, I so applied 
small doses of brandy at short intervals as to keep down 
both pulse and temperature within the limits of fatal 
combustion. The patient had scarcely tasted alcohol 
before this, and therefore it exerted its maximum effi- 
cacy. I was surprised at the certain response of both 
pulse and temperature to this most valuable medicine 
and most pernicious beverage. 

i( The argument that has been the most industriously 
urged in favor of all the vice-drugs, and each in its turn, 

252 



APPENDIX 

is that miserable apology that has been made for every 
folly, every vice, every political abuse, every social crime 
(such as slavery, polygamy, etc.), when the time has ar- 
rived for reformation. I cannot condescend to seriously 
argue against it, but merely state the fact that the widely 
diffused practice of using some kind of stimulating drug 
has been claimed as a sufficient proof of the necessity or 
advantage of such practice. I leave my readers to be- 
stow on such a plea the treatment they may think it de- 
serves. Those who believe that a rational being should 
have rational grounds for his conduct will treat this 
customary refuge of blind conservatism as I do." 

Mr. Williams, in his article, proceeds to give the views 
of certain scientists who have defended the use of the 
alkaloids. He speaks of Liebig's, or rather Xehmen's, 
theory, which was that the use of tea and coffee retarded 
the waste of the tissues of the body ; also, Johnston's 
theory, in his Chemistry of Common Life, that if waste 
be lessened by the use of tea, less food is required. 

Mr. Williams says, regarding these theories : "All the 
popular stimulants and refreshing drugs have two dis- 
tinct and opposite actions : an immediate exaltation, 
which lasts for a certain period, varying with the drug 
and the constitution of its victim, and a subsequent de- 
pression proportionate to the primary exaltation, but, as 
I believe, always exceeding it either in duration or in- 
tensity, or both, thus giving as a net or mean result a 
loss of vitality." 



Remarks on the Influence of Alcoholic Liquors, by Pro- 
fessor Edward L. Youmans, in " Household Science/' 
and others. 

"Stimulating Effect of Alcoholic Bevekages. 
— They produce general stimulation; the heart's action 
is increased, the circulation quickened, the secretions 

253 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

augmented, the system glows with unusual warmth, and 
there is a general heightening of the functions. Organs 
usually below par from debility are brought up to the 
normal tone, while those which are strong and healthy 
are raised above it. Thus the stomach, if feeble, for 
example, from deficient gastric secretion, may be aided 
to pour out a more copious solvent, which promotes di- 
gestion ; or, if it be in full health, it may thus be made 
to digest more than the body requires. The life of the 
system is exalted above its standard, which takes place, 
not by conferring additional vitality, but by plying the 
nervous system with a fiery irritant, which provokes the 
vital functions to a higher rate of action. This is the 
secret of the fatal fascination of alcohol, and the source 
of its evil. The excitement it produces is transient, and 
is followed by a corresponding depression and dragging 
of all the bodily movements. It enables us to live at 
an accelerated speed to-day, but it is only plundering 
to-morrow. By its means we crowd into a short period 
of intense exhilaration the feelings, emotions, thoughts, 
and exjoeriences which the Author of our nature de- 
signed should be distributed more equally through the 
passing time. We cannot doubt that God has graduated 
the flow of these life - currents in accordance with the 
profoundest harmonies of being and the highest results 
of beneficence. By habitually resorting to -this potent 
stimulant, man violates the providential order of his 
constitution, loses the voluntary regulation and control 
of his conduct, inaugurates the reign of appetite and 
passion, and reaps the penal consequences in multiform 
suffering and sorrow — for nature always vindicates her- 
self at last." 

Professor You mans also says, in answer to the question, 
Is the use of alcohol physiologically economical ? — " The 
apologists for the general and moderate use of alcoholic 
beverages cannot agree among themselves upon any phi- 
losophy to suit the case. Dr. Moleshott says, ' Alcohol 

254 



APPENDIX 

may be considered a savings-box of the tissues. He who 
eats little and drinks a moderate quantity of spirits re- 
tains as much in the blood and tissues as a person who 
eats proportionally more without drinking any beer, wine, 
or spirits. Clearly, then, it is hard to rob the laborer 
who, in the sweat of his brow, eats but a slender meal, of 
a means by which his deficient food is made to last him 
a longer time/ Upon which Dr. Chambers justly re- 
marks : i This is going rather too far. When alcohol lim- 
its the consumption of tissue, and so the requirements 
of the system, while at the same time a man goes on 
working, it is right to inquire, whence comes his new 
strength ? It is supplied by something which is not de- 
composition of tissue ; by what, then V Dr. Liebig points 
out the consequences of that peculiar economy by which 
the laboring man saves his tissue and the food necessary 
to repair it by the use of liquors : ' Spirits, by their ac- 
tion on the nerves, enable the laborer to make up for 
deficient power (from insufficient food) at the expense of 
his body ; to consume to-day that quantity which ought 
naturally to have been employed a day later. He draws, 
so to speak, a bill on his health which must be always 
renewed, because, for want of means, he cannot take it 
up ; he consumes his capital instead of his interest, and 
the result is the inevitable bankruptcy of his body.' 

" Dr. Moleshott further says: 'When, by habit, the 
stimulant has become a necessity, an enervating relax- 
ation infallibly follows, as is sometimes mournfully il- 
lustrated by less prudent literary men. The stimulant 
ceases to excite ; the debilitated organs have already 
been indebted to it for all the activity it can give. In 
this case the victim continues to seek his refuge until 
dangerous diseases of the stomach cripple the digestive 
organs, the formation of blood and nutrition are dis- 
turbed ; and with the digestion vanish clearness of 
thought, acuteness of the senses, and the elasticity of 
the muscles/ " 

255 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 



On the Tendency of Common Wheat Flour to Produce 
Bright' s Disease, Diabetes, etc. 

" It is claimed by the health-food manufacturers that 
' the starch portion of wheat may be compared to the 
fat of meat, and the gluten portion to the lean meat. 
This comparison is not wanting in scientific accuracy, 
inasmuch as starch is carbon and fat is carbon, while 
animal albumen and gluten, or vegetable albumen, are 
nearly identical nitrogenous substances. If, then, we 
were to attempt to exist upon the fat, or carbon, to the 
exclusion of the lean, or nitrogen, of meat, we should 
presently discern, by our waning bodily and mental vigor, 
that we were very imperfectly nourished. The same lack 
of vital force comes from an excessive use of the vegeta- 
ble carbons. The disuse of the fat of grain — the starch 
— demands more earnest consideration from the physi- 
ologist, because the refined taste instinctively shrinks 
from the copious use of animal fats, while education, 
custom, habit, all encourage the increasing and unlim- 
ited use of the starch form of carbon. It is not claimed 
that our ordinary bread-flour is as pure a carbon, as free 
from nitrogen, as the clear fat of meat. The ordinary 
milling processes cannot exclude all the nitrogenous ele- 
ments from the white flour ; that they do withhold the 
greater part, as well as all but the merest trace of the 
organized mineral constituents, is a simple chemical fact. 
We know that the gluten contains phosphorus ... we 
know that the starch contains no phosphorus. We know 
that the starch-interior of the wheat-berry is nearly barren 
of minerals, containing considerably less than one -half 
of one per cent., while the gluten is found to contain 
over eleven per cent. The mineral matter is nearly half 
phosphoric acid, nearly one -third potassa, more than 
one -tenth magnesia, with smaller proportions of soda, 
lime, iron, chloride of sodium, sulphuric acid, and silica. 

256 



APPENDIX 

These elements are all demanded in the blood-making 
processes. ... In the use of starch-bread the stomach 
is greatly overtaxed in its effort to digest an immense 
amount of starch, containing an insignificant portion of 
nitrogenous and mineral elements. The use of starch 
in excess is the rule in America. If assimilated, it is 
very liable to induce fatty degeneration of the tissues, 
and such diseases as depend upon this state. Atheroma 
of the cerebral arteries, with the attendant fat-globules, 
the weakened muscular coats, and the tendency to rupt- 
ure and apoplexy, are all concomitants of the starchy 
diathesis. The essential feature of Bright's disease is 
fatty infiltration of the kidneys ; while diabetes finds its 
chief allies in bread and potatoes. These formidable 
diseases may be guarded against by appropriate alimen- 
tary substances containing the needed proportions of all 
nutritive elements. 

" c But starch undigested is nearly as potent for evil as 
starch digested. The liver, burdened with white bread 
and potatoes, seems presently to be deprived of its pow- 
er, etc.'" 



Kumiss 

In the Medical Record is an article by Dr. E. F. Brush, 
of New York, in which he says : ' ' Historically the study 
of kumiss is very interesting. Homer speaks of the ku- 
miss-making Hippomolgi ; Herodotus tells us that the 
Scythians deprived their slaves of sight in order to keep 
secret the process of making a drink from mare's milk. 
. . . Marco Polo, the great Venetian traveller, writing a 
few years later, speaks of kumiss as a common drink, 
wholesome, nutritious, and possessing important medical 
properties. . . . Pallas, who was sent by the Empress 
Catherine II. to visit the less-known portions of her do- 
minions, gave considerable attention to the question of 
r 257 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

kumiss. Speaking of the Tartar tribes, he says : ' Their 
wealth consists in herds of mares, the milk of which can- 
not be manufactured into cheese or butter, and which, 
owing to the large quantity of sugar it contains, ferments 
spontaneously. This they undoubtedly discovered by 
attempting to preserve the milk for a day or two in skin 
bags. From this step it is a short one to discover that 
the longer it was kept the more pleasant it became/ 
Mrs. Guthrie, who visited the Crimea in 1795, writes : 
' On stopping at a village the hospitable Tartars brought 
us a wooden dish of their favorite kumiss. The kumiss 
has a sourish-sweet taste, by no means unpleasant to my 
palate/ Pallas tells us that he met a horde of Tartars 
who possessed the secret of turning cow's milk into vin- 
ous fermentation, or, in other words, into kumiss. At- 
kinson, in his Oriental and Western Siberia, writes : ' On 
entering a Kirghis yourt in summer, a Chinese bowl 
holding three pints of kumiss is presented to each guest. 
It is considered impolite to return the vessel before 
emptying it, and a good Kirghis is never guilty of this 
impropriety. They begin to make kumiss in April. 
The mares are milked into large leathern pails, which 
are immediately taken into the yourt, and the milk poured 
into the kumiss bag. The first fourteen days after they 
begin making this beverage very little of it is drank, but, 
with fermentation and agitation, it is considered by this 
time in perfection, when it is drank in great quantities 
by the wealthy Kirghis/ 

"In an official report to the Russian government in 
1840, Dr. Dahl, after describing the method of manufact- 
uring kumiss, continues : ' Peculiar as is the taste of 
kumiss, one soon becomes accustomed to it, especially if 
one tastes it for the first time when thirsty, or after vio- 
lent exercise. It is then the most pleasant and refresh- 
ing of all drinks. ... It is very refreshing and hunger- 
stilling, without being surfeiting. It only allays hunger 
without destroying the appetite. One can, without anv 

258 



APPENDIX 

fear, drink as much as he will — an inconceivable amount 
— and yet always feel light and well. If one were to 
drink half the quantity of water, beer, or anything else, 
especially during the burning heat when one is forced to 
be on horseback, one would feel over -full and heavy. 
But every cup of kumiss gives new courage and strength. 
An intoxication such as is produced by wine never takes 
place after drinking kumiss, in whatever quantities you 
may ; the result is a scarcely noticeable exhilaration, and 
this only when it is taken in very considerable quanti- 
ties, or in delicate persons, when it produces an inclina- 
tion to a refreshing sleep. . . . Kumiss is, among the 
nomads, the drink of all children from the suckling up- 
ward, the refreshment of the old and sick, the nourish- 
ment and greatest luxury of every one. The effect of 
kumiss shows itself in less than a week in a good nour- 
ishment of the whole body, an increase in strength and 
spirits, and a general feeling of health. The respiration 
is easier, the voice freer, the complexion brighter. . . . 
The diseases in which kumiss is beneficial are those 
where the body must be well nourished without loading 
the digestive organs. It seems, too, that kumiss is spe- 
cially useful in diseases of the lungs, bronchia, and 
larynx ; I will not assert that it can cure consumption 
and phthisis, but it suits these conditions better than 
any other nourishment. It is certain that among the 
Kirghis consumption and phthisis are very rare — so, too, 
pneumonia, senile asthma, and dropsy of the chest. Of 
tubercular consumption, and other phthisis, I have seen 
no example among the Kirghis/ 

" Dr. Neftel, who, twenty -three years after the visit 
of Dr. Dahl, was also sent by the Russian government 
to the Kirghis Steppe, confirms the observations of his 
predecessor. ' Scrof ulosis and rachitis are quite un- 
known among them ; and, what is still more remarkable, 
I had opportunity to observe not one single case of lung 
tuberculosis, although I sought for such cases with great 

259 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

attention/ To avoid repetition, I will simply cite one 
case given by Dr. Neftel relating to kumiss treatment. 
i The patient, twenty-five years old, had always lived in 
St. Petersburg. Her physician there, a distinguished 
diagnostician, found tubercular infiltrations in both su- 
perior lobes of the lungs. During two years she coughed 
continually, with a muco - prurient expectoration often 
tinged with blood, and she became very emaciated. All 
other physicians consulted by the patient confirmed this 
diagnosis. . . . The presence of cavities was clearly de- 
monstrated, and a hectic fever set in. In this condi- 
tion the patient, by my advice, left the city, passed the 
. whole summer in the steppe, in a kibitka, and was me- 
thodically treated with kumiss. Her general condition 
gradually improved ; she returned to the city in the 
autumn, and the ensuing spring she again commenced 
the kumiss treatment, and I have lately received here at 
Wurzburg a letter from her husband, in which he in- 
forms me that his wife is completely cured, and coughs 
no longer/" 

Dr. Brush further calls attention to an article on 
kumiss written by Dr. Campbell, of Mount Vernon, 
N". Y., in the American Journal of Obstetrics, October, 
1880. His observations are limited to the study of ku- 
miss in cholera infantum. He reasons as follows : 
"In a severe case of choleraic diarrhea we derive but 
little aid from medication, the primary cause of the dis- 
order being the food put into the child's stomach. 
These cases occur almost exclusively among fed children. 
Our aim is chiefly directed to finding something on which 
the infant can be nourished and which will not increase 
the trouble already existing. In kumiss we have a food 
which children with high temperature not only take 
kindly, but crave, its slightly acid taste being grateful to 
their parched tongues. It is an absolutely non- putre- 
factive food, is free from sugar, and is rarely ejected even 
by the most irritable stomach. ... I can say of it that 

260 



APPENDIX 

it has never failed me in any case of cholera infantum, 
except where well - marked brain symptoms already ex- 
isted, before it was administered, to such a degree as to 
preclude the possibility of a recovery. Even in these 
cases it is an advantage, for we are giving a food which 
will not be vomited, and which will satisfy thirst." 

As a food for diabetics, the author would refer to 
p. 87. 

Remarks by Dr. T. Griswold Comstock on the Use of 

Kumiss 

"Regarding kumiss, from a large experience in its use 
during the past nine years, I can recommend it with the 
greatest confidence. It fills a desideratum which the 
medical practitioner has long desired. One fact bearing 
upon its nutritious value should be borne in mind : one 
pint of it contains more than two ounces of solid food, 
so that it is especially indicated in constitutional diseases 
or systemic affections. According to the most recent 
authorities it is regarded by practitioners as acting in 
cold weather as a diuretic, and in warm weather as a dia- 
phoretic. From these physiological stand-points we can 
prescribe it rationally in a variety of ailments. It is 
valuable in pulmonary catarrh, in pulmonary tuberculo- 
sis, in chronic diarrhea, in diabetes, in B right's disease, 
in diphtheria, in the paralysis the sequel of diphtheria, 
in summer complaint, in the chronic intestinal and gas- 
tric catarrhs of children or adults, and especially in dys- 
pepsia and flatulence. It will be found peculiarly bene- 
ficial in cases of incurable disease, such as cancer. I 
have prescribed it in pernicious anaemia, puerperal anae- 
mia, in typhoid fever, in puerperal fever ; in fact, in al- 
most any affection attended with emaciation. At first it 
may be given in small quantities, and gradually the ra- 
tion may be increased until it constitutes the sole food 
of the patient. As it is in reality a wine-milk, or rather 

201 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

a champagne-milk, it acts something like an alcoholic 
stimulant, and most patients feel revived at once after 
taking it. It is especially indicated for the infirmities 
of old age, in cases of palsy, paralysis, impending cr real 
mental affections, etc." 



From Dr. Roberts's Book, " The Digestive Ferments " 

"My own efforts to produce a palatable peptonized food 
have been chiefly directed to the pancreatic method. The 
pancreas excels the stomach as a digestive organ, in that 
it has the power to digest the two great alimentary prin- 
ciples, starch and proteids ; and an extract of the gland is 
possessed of similar properties. . . . My attention was 
first turned to the artificial digestion of milk. . . . Milk 
contains all the elements of a perfect food, adjusted in 
their due proportions for the nutrition of the body. Two 
out of three of its organic constituents — namely, the 
sugar and the fat — exist already in the most favorable 
condition for absorption, and require little, if any, assist- 
ance from the digestive ferments. It is therefore obvious 
that if we could change the caseine of milk into peptone 
without materially altering the flavor and appearance- of 
the milk, such a result would go far towards solving the 
problem of supplying an artificially digested food for the 
use of the sick." 

Peptonized Milk-gruel. — Dr. Eoberts further says : 
" This is the preparation of which I have had the 
most experience, and with which I have obtained the 
most satisfactory results. It may be regarded as an arti- 
ficially digested bread-and-milk, and as forming by itself 
a complete and highly nutritious food for weak diges- 
tion. . . . I find, however, that some persons fail to pep- 
tonize milk-gruel so as to make it palatable. This is en- 
tirely due to allowing the peptonizing process to go on 

262 



APPENDIX 

too far. Artificial digestion, like cooking, must be reg- 
ulated as to its degree. If the liquor pancreaticus is 
very active, the slight bitterness, whereby it is known 
that the process has been carried far enough, is devel- 
oped in an hour or less, but if the preparation is not so 
active, two or three hours may be required to reach the 
same point. The practical rule for guidance is to allow 
the process to go on until a perceptible bitterness is de- 
veloped, and not longer. The milk-gruel should be raised 
to the boiling-point to put a stop to further changes." 

Pancreatic Emulsion of Fats. — Dr. Dobell, in his 
work on Loss of Weight, Blood- spitting, and Lung Dis- 
ease, says: "Oil when it agrees. and passes into the blood 
does not completely represent the solid fats of the natural 
food, and cannot therefore permanently take their place. 
As a temporary substitute for natural fat it answers ad- 
mirably, but sooner or later, in some cases very soon in- 
deed, the portal system becomes choked and refuses to 
absorb more oil ; the oil disagrees with the stomach, it 
rises, spoils the appetite, and thus not only ceases to do 
good, but does positive harm, by preventing the patient 
from taking as much food as the stomach might other- 
wise call for and digest. None of these disadvantages 
occur with well-made pancreatic emulsions of solid fat. 
The consequence is that an artificial supply of natural 
fat by the natural route can be kept up for an indefinite 
time if required, while the appetite is usually improved 
and the digestion also; and at the same time a very large 
quantity of amylaceous* food is rapidly converted into 
dextrine and sugar by the pancreatic action of the emul- 
sion, and thus a most important assistance in the econo- 
my of fat is given by the increased supply of carbon from 
the carbohydratesf at the same time that fat is being 
thrown into the blood by the emulsion. 

* Pertaining to starch. f Sugar and starch. 

263 

r 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

" From the date of its first introduction in 1863 up to 
1872, at the Royal Chest Hospital alone, I had prescribed 
the emulsion in over six thousand cases. ... The gen- 
eral results of my thus extended experience have been 
confirmatory of my opinion. ... I am informed on good 
authority that as much as sixty thousand pounds of the 
emulsion (made in London) have been consumed in a 
single year. While there are certainly a few persons who 
cannot possibly take or assimilate the emulsion, although 
able to take cod-liver oil, they are but very few indeed, 
now that the emulsion has been made so perfect a prepa- 
ration ; whereas the number of persons who can take and 
assimilate the emulsion, but not cod -liver oil, is very 
large. In either case, it is necessary not to be too easily 
persuaded by our patients from prescribing the remedy. 
I frequently find that patients who assert that they can- 
not possibly, and never could, keep down the oil, will 
manage to do so when informed that it is the only thing 
that will stay the progress of the disease." 



Food for Infants 

Remarks of Dr. Eustace Smith, Physician to the King 
of the Belgians, in the Sanitary Record : 

" The mortality among children under the age of 
twelve months is enormous, and of these deaths a large 
proportion might be prevented by a wider diffusion of 
knowledge of one of the most simple of subjects. . . . The 
great principle at the bottom of all successful feeding — 
viz., that an infant is nourished in proportion to his 
power of digesting the food with which he is supplied, 
and not in proportion to the quantity of nutritive ma- 
terial which he maybe induced to swallow — is so obvious- 
ly true that an apology might almost seem necessary for 
stating so self - evident a proposition ; but experience 
shows that this simple truth is one which, in practice, is 

264 



APPENDIX 

constantly lost sight of. That that child thrives best 
who is most largely fed, and that the more solid the food 
the greater its nutritive power, are two articles of faith 
so firmly settled in the minds of many persons that it is 
very difficult indeed to persuade them to the contrary. 
To them wasting in an infant merely suggests a larger 
supply of more solid food ; every cry means hunger, and 
must be quieted by an additional meal. To take a com- 
mon case : A child, weakly, perhaps, to begin with, is 
filled with a quantity of solid food which he has no power 
of digesting. His stomach and bowels revolt against the 
burden imposed upon them, and endeavor to get rid of 
the offending matter by vomiting and diarrhea ; a gastro- 
intestinal catarrh is set up, which still further reduces 
the strength ; every meal causes a return of the sickness ; 
the bowels are filled with fermenting matter, which ex- 
cites violent griping pains, so that the child rests neither 
night nor day ; after a longer or shorter time he sinks, 
worn out by pain or exhaustion, and is then said to have 
died from 'consumption of the bowels.' 

" Cases such as the above are but too common, and 
must be painfully familiar to every physician who has 
much experience of the diseases of children. 

" The food we select for the diet of an infant should 
be nutritious in itself, but it should also be given in a 
form in which the child is capable of digesting it ; other- 
wise we may fill him with food without in any way con- 
tributing to his nutrition, and actually starve the body 
while we load the stomach to repletion. No food can be 
considered suitable to the requirements of the infant un- 
less it not only possess heat -giving and fat -producing 
properties, but also contains material to supply the waste 
of the nitrogenous tissues ; therefore, a merely starchy 
substance, such as arrowroot, which enters so largely into 
the diet of children, especially among the poor, is a very 
undesirable food for infants, unless given in very small 
quantities and mixed largely with milk. 

265 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

" The most perfect food for children — the only one, 
indeed, which can be trusted to supply in itself all the 
necessary elements of nutrition in the most digestible 
form — is milk. In it are contained nitrogenous matter 
in the curd, fat in the cream, besides sugar, and the salts 
which are so essential to perfect nutrition. The milk of 
different animals varies to a certain extent in the propor- 
tion of the several constituents, some containing more 
curd, others more cream and sugar ; but the milk of the 
cow, which is always readily obtainable, is the one to 
which recourse is usually had, and, when properly made, 
this is perfectly efficient for the purpose required. Cow's 
milk contains a larger proportion of curd and cream, but 
'less sugar, than is found in human milk, and these dif- 
ferences can be immediately remedied by dilution with 
water and the addition of cane or milk-sugar in sufficient 
quantity to supply the necessary sweetness. But there 
is another and more important difference between the 
two fluids which must not be lost sight of. If we take 
two children, the one fed on cow's milk and water, the 
other nursed at his mother's breast, and produce vomit- 
ing after a meal by friction over the abdomen, we notice 
a remarkable difference in the matters ejected. In the 
first case we see the curd of the milk coagulated into a 
firm, dense lump ; while in the second the curd appears 
in the form of minute, flocculent, loosely connected 
granules. The demand made upon the digestive powers 
in these two cases is very different, and the experiment 
explains the difficulty often experienced by infants in 
digesting cow's milk, however diluted it may be ; for the 
addition of water alone will not hinder the firm clotting 
of the curd. In order to make such milk satisfactory as 
a food for new-born infants, further preparation is re- 
quired ; and there are two ways in which the difficulty 
may be overcome. 

"Although any thickening matter will have the 
mechanical effect desired of separating the particles of 

266 



APPENDIX 

curd, yet it is not immaterial what substance is chosen. 
The question of the farinaceous feeding of infants is a 
very important one, for it is to an excess of this diet that 
so many of their derangements may often be attributed. 
Owing to a mistaken notion that such foods are peculiarly 
light and digestible — a notion so widely prevalent that 
the phrase 'food for infants ' has become almost synony- 
mous with farinaceous matter — young babies are often 
fed as soon as they are born with large quantities of corn- 
flour or arrowroot, mixed sometimes with milk, but often 
with water alone. Now, starch, of which all the farinas 
so largely consist, is digested principally by the saliva, 
aided by the secretion from the pancreas, which converts 
the starch into dextrine and grape-sugar previous to ab- 
sorption. But the amount of saliva formed in the new- 
born infant is excessively scanty, and it is not until the 
fourth month that the secretion becomes fully established. 
Again, according to the experiments of Korowin, of St. 
Petersburg, the pancreatic juice is almost absent in a 
child of a month old ; even in the second month its 
secretion is very limited, and has little action upon 
starch. It is only at the end of the third month that its 
action upon starch becomes sufficiently powerful to fur- 
nish material for a quantitative estimation of the sugar 
formed. Therefore, before the age of three months a 
farinaceous diet is not to be recommended — is even to be 
strongly deprecated, unless the starchy substance be 
given with great caution and in very small quantities. If 
administered recklessly, as it too often is, the food lies 
undigested in the bowels, ferments, and sets up a state 
of acid indigestion which, in so young and feeble a being, 
may lead to the most disastrous consequences. In fact, 
the deaths of so many children under two or three months 
old can be often attributed to no other cause than a 
purely functional abdominal derangement, excited and 
maintained by too liberal feeding with farinaceous foods. 
There is, however, one form of food which, although 

267 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

farinaceous, is yet well digested, even by young infants, 
if given in moderate quantities. This is barley-water. 
The starch it contains is small in amount and is held in 
a state of very fine division. When barley-water is mixed 
with milk in equal proportions it ensures a fine separation 
of the curd, and is at the same time a harmless addition 
to the diet. Isinglass or gelatin, in the proportion of a 
teaspoonful to the bottleful of milk and water, may also 
be made use of, and will be found to answer the purpose 
well. Farinaceous foods in general are, as has been said, 
injurious to young babies on account of the deficiency 
during the first months of life of the secretions necessary 
for the conversion of the starch into the dextrine and 
grape-sugar, a preliminary jorocess which is indispensable 
to absorption. If, however, we can make such an ad- 
dition to the food as will ensure the necessary chemical 
change, farinaceous matter ceases to be injurious. It has 
been found that, by adding to it malt in certain propor- 
tions, the same change is excited in the starch artificially 
as is produced naturally by the salivary and pancreatic 
secretions during the process of digestion. The employ- 
ment of malt for this purpose was first suggested by 
Mialhe, in a paper read before the French Academy in 
1845, and the suggestion was put into practice by Liebig, 
fifteen years later. 

"'Liebig's Food for Infants ' contains wheat flour, 
malt, and a little carbonate of potash, and has gained a 
well-deserved celebrity as a food for babies during the 
first few months of life. The best form with which I 
am acquainted is that made by Mr. Mellin, under the 
name of ' Mellin's Extract for Preparing Liebig's Food 
for Infants/ In this preparation, owing to the careful 
way in which it is manufactured, the whole of the starch 
is converted into dextrine and grape-sugar, so that the 
greater part of the work of digestion is performed before 
the food reaches the stomach of the child. Mixed with 
equal parts- of milk and water this food is as perfect a 

268 



APPENDIX 

substitute for mother's milk as can be produced, and is 
readily digested by the youngest infants. It very rarely, 
indeed, happens that it is found to disagree. 

"In all cases, then, where a child is brought up by 
hand, milk should enter largely into his diet ; and during 
the first few months of life he should be fed upon it 
almost entirely. If he can digest plain milk and water, 
there is no reason for making any other addition than 
that of a little milk, sugar, and cream ; but in cases 
where, as often happens, the heavy curd taxes the gastric 
powers too severely, the milk may be thickened by an 
equal proportion of thin barley-water, or by adding to each 
bottleful of milk and water a teaspoonf ul of isinglass or of 
Mellin's Extract/' 

One Month 

" Having fixed upon the kind of food which is suitable 
to the child, we must next be careful that it is not given 
in too large quantities, or that the meals are not repeated 
too frequently. If the stomach be kept constantly over- 
loaded, even with a digestible diet, the effect is almost as 
injurious as if the child were fed upon a less digestible 
food in more reasonable quantities. A healthy infant 
passes the greater part of his time asleep, waking at 
intervals to take nourishment. These intervals must not 
be allowed to be too short, and it is a great mistake to 
accustom the child to take food whenever it cries. From 
three to four ounces of liquid will be a sufficient quantity 
during the first six weeks of life ; and of this only a half 
or even a third part should consist of milk, according to 
the child's powers of digestion. After such a meal the 
infant should sleep quietly for at least two hours. Fret- 
fulness and irritability in a very young baby almost always 
indicate indigestion and flatulence ; and if a child cries 
and whines uneasily, twisting about its body and jerking 
its limbs, a fresh meal given instantly, although it may 
quiet it for the moment, will, after a short time, only 
increase the child's discomfort." 

269 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

Two Months 

" During the first six weeks or two months, two hours 
will be a sufficient interval between the meals ; afterwards 
this interval can be lengthened, and at the same time a 
larger quantity may be given at each time of feeding. 
No more food should be prepared at once than is required 
for the particular meal. The position of the child as it 
takes food should be half reclining, as when taking food 
from the mother's breast, and the food should be given 
from a feeding-bottle. When the contents of the bottle 
are exhausted the child should not be allowed to con- 
tinue sucking at an empty vessel, as by this means air is 
swallowed which might afterwards be a source of great 
discomfort." 

Six Months 

"At the age of six months farinaceous food may be 
given in small quantities with safety, if it be desired to 
do so ; and in some cases the addition of a small propor- 
tion of wheaten flour to the diet is found to be attended 
with advantage. The best form in which this can be 
given is the preparation of wheat known as ' Chapman's 
Entire Wheaten Flour/ This is superior for the purpose 
to the ordinary flour, as it contains the inner husk of the 
wheat finely ground, and is therefore rich in phosphates 
and in a peculiar body called cerealine, which has the 
diastatic property of changing starchy matters into dex- 
trine." 

Eight Months 

"After the eighth month a little thin mutton or 
chicken broth or veal tea may be given, carefully freed 
from all grease. After 

Twelve Months 

the child may begin to take light puddings, well-mashed 
potatoes with gravy, or the lightly boiled yolk of an egg ; 
but no meat should be allowed until the child be at least 

270 



APPENDIX 



sixteen months old. Every new article of food should 
be given cautiously and in small quantities at first ; and 
any sign of indigestion should be noted, and a return be 
made at once to a simpler method of feeding." 



Feeding the Baby 

Dr. 0. E. Page, in a very admirable little book, Row 
to Feed the Baby, thinks babies are generally overfed. 
He thinks three meals a day and nothing at night, for 
an infant from its birth, is quite enough ; that the 
stomach of an infant needs rest like that of an adult ; 
that the stomach should be allowed to clear itself and 
rest before the next meal is taken; that "the stomach 
is generally forced to go to work again too soon, and later 
this excessive labor exhausts the muscular power of the 
stomach ; the supply of gastric juice is not enough to 
digest unneeded food, which, if not thrown up, remains 
to putrefy and poison the blood." Dr. Page relates his 
experience with his own children (also others under his 
charge), who were brought up on the three-meals-a-day 
plan. He says they slept all night like older people. 
At the same time due attention was paid to ventilation. 
A little dropping of the upper window always kept the 
room well aired ; no swaddling clothes pinched the vital 
organs. 

He says : " If the child be fed and dressed properly, 
and is otherwise rationally managed, there will be no 
midnight orgies, no sleepless nights on baby's account, 
and it will soon — indeed, in a very few days — become so 
regular in habit that the bundled, pinned-up squares, 
so sweltering and injurious, can be entirely dispensed 
with at night, and during its naps by day, and it may 
be safely laid down after supper for its ten or twelve 
hours of solid sleep." 

What Dr. Page considers a sufficient amount of diet 

271 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

is as follows: "N"o definite rule can be given for the 
amount of food necessary for a hand -fed babe at any 
given age. It will not, however, vary much from one 
pint for an infant of six months. This amount, divided 
into three meals — at 6 a.m., 12 m., and 6 p.m. — has, in 
my experience, always ensured the best results." 

This seems very little, yet undoubtedly babies are gen- 
erally overfed. 

He also says : "During hot weather the child does not 
need as much food as in winter. . . . The baby should 
be allowed water frequently in summer." 

Dr. Dawson, of New York, discussing the same sub- 
ject, says : " When treating vomiting, constipation, or 
diarrhea in children, the stomach is given rest by cut- 
ting off all but a small quantity of food. Will we gain 
any benefit, I ask, from ejected or undigested food, even 
if it causes no severer disturbance ?" 

Again he says : ' ' Constipation, too, so common in 
otherwise healthy infants, is generally due to excessive 
and too frequent feeding. The explanation is quite sim- 
ple. The stomach being overburdened with food, and 
consequently overtaxed with work, each supply of milk, 
instead of being coagulated into fine and soft coagula, 
which are readily acted upon by the secreted pepsin, 
comes into contact with the semi-digested acid coagula 
of the preceding meal, and, in consequence, is coagu- 
lated more rapidly than it should be normally, the co- 
agula being larger and harder. Such masses, if not eject- 
ed, pass into the intestinal canal but little or not at all 
changed by the digestive process, will impact together 
on contact, and from their size and dryness are with diffi- 
culty passed along the bowels, thus giving rise to consti- 
pation, colic, etc." 

Professor Huxley says: "But, whatever the circum- 
stances, if the quantity of food taken exceeds the de- 
mands of the system, evil consequences are sure to fol- 
low. The immediate results of overeating are lethargy, 

272 



APPENDIX 

heaviness, and tendency to sleep. Overtaxing the di- 
gestive organs soon deranges their functions, and is a 
common and efficient cause of dyspepsia. If the food 
is not absorbed from the digestive apparatus into the 
system, it rapidly undergoes chemical decomposition in 
the alimentary canal, and often putrefies. Large quan- 
tities of gas are thus generated, which give rise to flatu- 
lence, and colicky pains. Dyspepsia, constipation, and 
intestinal irritation causing diarrhea are produced. If 
digestion be strong, and its products are absorbed, an 
excess of nutriment is thrown into the blood and the 
circulation is overloaded. If food is not expended in 
force, the natural alternative is its accumulation in the 
system, producing plethora and abnormal increase of 
tissue. This is accompanied by congestion of im- 
portant organs, mal- assimilation of nutritive material, 
and increased proneness to derangement and diseased 
action." 

Dr. Dawson says : ' ' The ejection of milk after nurs- 
ing, which is ignorantly considered by many to be the 
sign of a healthy child, denotes overfeeding, and is the 
effect of reflex action. ... As my experience has taught 
me, most infants who thus throw up after eating suffer 
sooner or later from enteralgia and constipation, and 
other symptoms of indigestion, which later are only re- 
lieved when the greed of the child is restricted." 

Dr. Page says : " One cause of excessive feeding exists 
in the desire of parents to have a fat baby. . . . The ex- 
cessive fat, so generally regarded as a sign of a healthy 
babe, is as truly a state of actual disease as when it oc- 
curs at adult age. Not only are the muscles enveloped 
with fat, they are mixed with it throughout, and so are 
the vital organs — the kidneys, liver, heart, etc. Dissec- 
tion in these cases often discloses the fact that these 
organs are enlarged and degenerated with fat ; the liver, 
for example, is often double the normal size. The dis- 
ease finally culminates in one of two things — a consider- 
s 273 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

able period of non-growth, or a violent sickness, which 
strips them of fat, if not of life." 

Dr. Page further says : "It is not the large quantity 
swallowed, but the right quantity, properly digested and 
perfectly assimilated, that alone can ensure the best re- 
sults with either children or adults." 



Diet for Typhoid Fever 

Extract from an address on the " Treatment of Typhoid 
Fever," delivered before the Midland Medical Society, 
1879, by Sir William Jenner : 

" From the first they should be restricted to a liquid 
diet with farinaceous food and bread in fine form, if the 
appetite should require it. It is better to vary the broths, 
and to add to them some strong essence of vegetables. 
Sometimes a little strained fruit juice is taken with ad- 
vantage, but skins and seeds of fruits and particles of 
the pulp are frequent sources of irritation to the bowels. 
Grapes are always dangerous, from the difficulty of pre- 
venting seeds slipping down the throat. The value of 
milk as an article of diet is generally admitted, but it re- 
quires to be given with caution. The indiscriminate em- 
ployment of milk in almost unlimited quantities as diet 
in fever has led to serious troubles. Milk contains a 
large amount of solid animal food. The caseine of the 
milk has to pass into a solid form before digestion can 
take place. Curds form in the stomach. Patients suf- 
fering from typhoid fever should be allowed an unlimited 
supply of pure water. When pure water is freely ab- 
sorbed it passes away by the kidneys, skin, lungs, etc., 
and is of much service as a depurating agent. If it be 
possible even that the poison of the fever was conveyed 
into the patient by the drinking-water or the milk of the 
district in which he is ill, then these fluids should be 
boiled until a different supply is obtained. . . . The fever 

274 



APPENDIX 

is thus met by rest, quiet, fresh air, mixed liquid food, 
and bland diluents, and the exclusion of fresh doses of 
j)oison ; the intestinal lesion by careful exclusion from 
the diet of all hard and irritating substances, and the re- 
moval from the bowels of any local irritant. 

" The chief causes of diarrhea in excess of that due to 
the intestinal changes in typhoid fever are, first, errors 
in diet ; second, the use of solid food — the presence of 
undigested food in the bowels, the abuse of milk and 
animal broths. My own experience has not satisfied me 
that one animal broth is more prone to produce diarrhea 
than another. Excess of fluid, when there is irritability 
to absorb the quantity drank, passes through the bowels, 
and so stimulates excessive secretion from the intestinal 
mucous membrane. 

" Alcohol in fit doses improves the nerve energy. . . . 
When blood in ever so small a quantity is observed in the 
secretions, the patient is to be kept in a recumbent posi- 
tion. He should not be allowed to make any effort what- 
ever. All movement of the bowels should be restrained 
as far as possible and for as long as possible. ... It is a 
point of the greatest moment to keep the bowels empty, 
and therefore nourishment should be given in the most 
concentrated and absorbable form — i.e., essence of meat 
in table-spoonful doses, frequently repeated. Lumps of 
ice should be sucked, and all essence of meat iced. 

" In a disease which runs a limited course, like typhoid 
fever, the greatest possible care should be taken to pre- 
serve the powers of the stomach, as the life of the patient 
may depend on his power to digest nourishment towards 
the end of his disease. ... To avert death from failure 
of heart-power, alcohol is the great remedy. Over defec- 
tive cardiac action — due altogether to changes in the 
muscular tissue, when once established, or in the circula- 
tion of poisoned blood through its vessels — alcohol exerts 
comparatively little influence ; but when the weakness 
and frequency of cardiac action are due to nerve influ- 

2T5 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

ence, in part or altogether, then alcohol exerts a singular- 
ly beneficial effect on the rapidity and feebleness of the 
heart's action. ... I may sum np my experience in re- 
gard to the use of alcohol in the treatment of typhoid 
fever thus : Its influence is exerted primarily in the ner- 
vous system, and through it on the several organs and 
processes ; for example, the heart and the general nutri- 
tive processes — changes on which the rise and fall of 
temperature depend. In judiciously selected cases it 
lowers temperature, increases the force and diminishes 
the frequency of the heart-beats ; it calms and soothes 
the patient, diminishes the tremor ; it quiets delirium, 
and induces sleep. It should never be given in the early 
stage of the disease, or with the hope of anticipating and 
so preventing the occurrence of prostration and debility, 
but should be prescribed only when the severity of spe- 
cial symptoms, or the general state of prostration, indi- 
cates its use. Hence a large number of cases of typhoid 
fever end favorably without alcohol being prescribed at 
all. It should not be prescribed when a sudden gush of 
blood has induced faintness, unless the faintness is so 
great as to threaten life immediately. Nor should it be 
given when, after the first few drops, the temperature 
rises, the heart's action becomes more frequent, or more 
feeble, delirium increases, sleeplessness supervenes, or 
drowsiness deepens, so as to threaten to pass into coma. 
When the urine contains a certain amount of albumen, 
alcohol should not be prescribed unless absolutely neces- 
sary for the relief of some symptom immediately threat- 
ening life, and then it should be given with the greatest 
caution, and its effects on temperature and the circula- 
tion be carefully and frequently noted. The quantity of 
alcohol prescribed should be as much only as may be 
necessary to effect the object for which it is prescribed. 
In the fourth week, to tide the patient over the conclud- 
ing days of the disease, it may, as a rule, be given more 
freely than in the second, or the beginning of the third, 

276 



APPENDIX 

week of the disease ; but it is in exceptional cases only 
that more than twelve ounces of brandy in the twenty- 
four hours can be taken without inducing the worst symp- 
toms of prostration. Nearly all the good effects of alco- 
hol, when its use is indicated, are obtained by four, six, 
or eight ounces of brandy in twenty-four hours. Taken 
in excess, even when in smaller quantities, it would do 
the patient no good ; it dries the tongue, muddles the 
mind. . . . When there is a question of a larger or a 
smaller dose, I, as a rule, give the smaller. The reverse 
of the rule I laid down for myself in the treatment of 
typhus fever. " 



Fresh Air and Diet for Colds and Catarrh 

Extracts from The Remedies of Nature, by Dr. Felix 
L. Oswald : 

Dr. Oswald says : "That colds or catarrhal affections 
are so very common — more frequent than all other dis- 
eases taken together — is mainly due to the fact that the 
cause of no other disorder of the human organism is so 
generally misunderstood . . . the cause is taken for a 
cure, and the most effective cure for the cause of the 
disease. If we inquire after that cause, ninety-nine pa- 
tients out of a hundred . . . would answer, i Cold 
weather/ ' Raw March winds/ ... in other words, out- 
door air of a low temperature. If we inquire after the 
best cure, the answer would be, i Warmth and protection 
against cold draughts' — i.e., warm, stagnant, in-door air. 
Now, I maintain that it can be proved . . . that warm, 
vitiated in-door air is the cause, and cold out-door air 
the best cure for catarrhs. ... In all the civilized coun- 
tries of the colder latitudes catarrhs are frequent in win- 
ter and early spring, and less frequent in midwinter, 
hence the inference. . . . No kind of warm weather will 
mitigate a catarrh while the patient persists in doing 

. ' 277 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 

what thousands never cease to do the year round — 
namely, to expose their lungs night after night to the 
vitiated, sickening atmosphere of an unveutilated bed- 
room. Colds are, indeed, less frequent in midwin- 
ter than at the beginning of spring. Frost is such a 
powerful disinfectant that in very cold nights the 
lung - poisoning atmosphere of few houses can resist its 
purifying influence ; in spite of padded doors, weather- 
strips, and double windows, it reduces the in-door tem- 
perature enough to paralyze the floating disease germs. 
. . . All Arctic travellers agree that among the natives 
of Iceland, Greenland, and Labrador pulmonary diseases 
are actually unknown. Protracted cold weather thus 
prevents epidemic catarrhs, but during the first thaw nat- 
ure succumbs to art, . . . the incubatory influence of 
the first moist heat is brought to bear on the lethargized 
catarrh germs. . . . Smouldering stove fires add their 
fumes to the effluvia of the dormitory ; superstition tri- 
umphs ; the lung-poison operates, and the next morning 
a snuffling, coughing, and red-nosed family discuss the 
cause of their affliction. . . . The summer season brings 
relief ; . . . the windows are partially opened. The long 
warm days offer increased opportunities for out - door 
rambles. . . . NTo man can freeze himself into a catarrh. 
In cold weather the hospitals of our northern cities 
sometimes receive patients with both feet and both 
hands frozen, . . . but without a trace of catarrhal 
affection. Duck-hunters may wade all day in a frozen 
swamp without affecting the functions of their respira- 
tory organs. Ice-cutters not rarely come in for an in- 
voluntary plunge-bath, and are obliged to let their clothes 
dry on their backs ; it may result in a bowel complaint, 
but no catarrh. . . . Cold is a tonic that invigorates the 
respiratory organs Avhen all other stimulants fail, and, 
combined with arm exercise and certain dietetic altera- 
tives, fresh cold air is the best remedy for all the dis- 
orders of the lungs and upper air passages. ... If the 

278 



APPENDIX 

fight is to be strong and decisive (for breaking up a 
cold), the resources of the adversary must be diminished 
by a strict fast. . . . But, aided by exercise, out -door 
air of any temperature will accomplish the same result. 
In two days a resolute pedestrian can toalk away from a 
summer catarrh of that malignant type that is apt to 
defy half -open windows. But the specific of the move- 
ment-cure is arm exercise — a dumb-bell swinging, grap- 
ple-swing practice, and wood- chopping. On a cold 
morning (for, after all, there are ten winter catarrhs 
to one in summer), a woodshed matinee seems to reach 
the seat of disease by an air-line. As the chest begins 
to heave under the stimulus of the exercise, respira- 
tion becomes freer as it becomes deeper and fuller 
. . . mucus is discharged en masse, as if the system had 
only waited for that amount of encouragement to rid 
itself of the incubus. A catarrh can thus be broken up 
in a single day. For the next half week the diet should 
be frugal and cooling. Fruit, light bread (?), and a lit- 
tle milk, is the best catarrh diet. A fast - day is still 
better. Fasting effects in a perfectly safe way what the 
old-school practitioners tried to accomplish by bleeding ; 
it reduces the semi-febrile condition which accompanies 
every severe cold. There is no doubt but that by exer- 
cise alone a catarrh can gradually be e worked off/ . . . 
A combination of the three specifics — exercise, absti- 
nence, and fresh air — will cure the most obstinate cold." 
This admirable article of Dr. Oswald's, published in 
the Popular Science Monthly, has undoubtedly done much 
to shake what he calls " the night-air superstition. " Dr. 
Oswald sleeps with window wide open the year round, 
and he never has a cold. It would undoubtedly be in- 
discreet, however, to change a habit too suddenly. 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 



Something More about the Pancreatic Extract for Arti- 
ficial Digestion 

As to the receipts which the writer has given for the 
digestion of certain foods (pp. 12 and 13), Dr. Benjamin 
T. Fairchild (the inventor of the "Pancreatic Extract" 
as prepared by Fairchild Brothers) is of opinion that too 
long a time is allowed for the digestive process, which 
renders the food less palatable. It is more satisfactory, 
he says, to digest the milk food bat half an hour. If 
not taken immediately by the patient, the food is, after 
the half hour, placed on ice. This arrests digestion, 
£nd when the patient takes the food into the stomach, 
the digestion is there completed. As it is desirable to 
give the food to the patient warm, it can be slightly 
heated (a little more than lukewarm) just before it is 
administered. The boiling of the food kills the digestive 
principle of the extract used. Yet it is sometimes, in 
the absence of ice, desirable to boil it in order to keep it. 
The digestive function is not destroyed by cold tempera- 
ture — only arrested. 

The writer does not understand why it would not be 
as satisfactory to mix the pancreatic extract with the 
food just before eating, and allow the entire digestive 
process to be carried on in the stomach, and merely 
gives the advice of others who ought to know more about 
it than herself. 

She will also add that pancreatized barley-gruel (made 
without sugar) is the most palatable of the pancreatized 
gruels, and subjoins the following new receipt for a pan- 
creatized food which is now much used. 



APPENDIX 



Pancreatized Oysters 

Chop half a dozen raw oysters as fine as possible, also 
pound them. 

Bring two cupfnls (one pint) of the oyster liquor (it 
may be part water if there is not oyster liquor enough) 
to a boil, then thicken it with half a cupful of barley- 
flour, rubbed smooth with half a cupful of water. Let 
it boil three or four minutes to cook the barley, then add 
the oyster pulp, and a seasoning of salt and very little 
pepper. When it comes to the boiling-point again, take 
it from the fire, and when the temperature is reduced to 
blood heat, mix in a fourth of a teaspoonful of pancreatic 
powder, and half a saltspoonful of soda. Pour it into a 
glass jar or bottle, and put this into water so hot that 
the whole hand can be held in without discomfort for a 
minute. Let it stand an hour as described for milk. It 
takes a little longer to digest oysters than milk. 

The dish is most palatable served immediately. It is 
liable to curdle when brought to the boiling-point again. 
It can either be placed on ice, or brought to the boiling- 
point for the purpose of keeping. 



Chart of Food Materials 

An abridgment is reproduced of a chart prepared for 
the United States government, giving an analysis of the 
articles of food in general use, their nutritive ingredients, 
refuse, and fuel value. The latter is expressed in cal- 
ories — i.e., the degrees of the calorimeter, an instrument 
which measures energy, or the heat-producing power of 
food. 



DIET IN ILLNESS AND CONVALESCENCE 



COMPOSITION OF FOOD MATERIALS 

Nutritive ingredients, refuse, and fuel value. 



Nutrients. 



Non-nutrients. 




Protein.* Fats. 

Flesh -forming v * 

substances. Fuel ingredients. 



Carbo- Mineral 
hydrates, matters. 




Water. 



Refuse. 



Nutr ients, etc.. per ct. 
Fuel value, calories 



10 



20 



30 



40 



50 



60 



70 



80 



90 



4U0 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 2800 3200 3600 




* Or nitrogenous constituents. 
282 



INDEX 



Alcohol, 36. 

Alcoholic liquors, effects of, 253. 

Almond flour and meal, dishes of, 

220 ; bread, 221 ; macaroons. 221 ; 

milk, 112; pudding. 221. 
Angels on horseback, 201. 
Animal foods, 41. 
Apple (see Fruits), 54 ; sauce, 240 ; 

water, 111 ; wine, 112. 
Apples, baked, 239. 
Arrowroot, 50, 265. 
Artificial digestion, 9, 280. 
Asbestos mats, 103. 
Asparagus, 208 ; cream of, 139 ; 

jelly, 212; soup, 139; tips with 

scrambled eggs, 184. 
Aspic jelly, 194. 

Bacon, 43, 167. 

Baked apples, 239. 

Baking-powder, 149, 150. 

Bananas, 52. 

Banana meal, 168. 

Bailey, custard, 229; gruel, 124; 
gruel (pancreatized), 280; pudding, 
217; soup, 138, 147; wafers, 
160; water, 108, 268. 

Bass a V Espagnole, 196. 

Batter bread, 162. 

Beans, 51 ; string, 141, 210. 

Beef, 41; extract, 130; juice, 66, 
131 ; sandwich, 187 ; tea, 129 ; tea, 
for convalescents, 132 ; tea, for 
travelling, 132 ; tea (Liebig's), 130. 

Beefsteak, 185; chopped, 187. 

Beer, 38. 

Beets a, la crbne, 205. 

Beverages, 14; from fruits, 110. 



Bills of fare for convalescents, 243. 

Bird, a broiled, 195. 

Biscuits, Dixie, 157; wafer, 159. 

Blackberry cordial, 113. 

Blanc-mange, corn-starch, 232 ; sea- 
moss, 232. 

Bouillon, 143. 

Bread, 149, 150; almond, 221; bat- 
ter, 162; Boston brown, 153; 
corn, 160, 161 ; dice or croutons, 
133; gluten, 169; Graham, 151 ; 
jelly, 66 ; pulled, 156. 

Bright's disease, 84, 256 

Broth, beef, with poached egg, 136 ; 
chicken, 133; clam, 144; clear 
beef, 135; mutton, 134; ovster, 
145. 

Buttermilk, 27. 

Cake, coffee, 157; Graham sponge, 
219; hoe, 162. 

Cambric tea, 21. 

Caramel custard, 230. 

Carrots cl la creme, 205. 

Caudle, 126. 

Cauliflower, 205, 210. 

Celery, 2u9. 

Charlotte-russe, 231. 

Chart of food materials, 282. 

Chestnut soup, 148. 

Chicken, bone soup, 147; breast of 
189; broth, 133; cream of, 138 
croquettes, 190 ; fricassee, 189 
fried spring, 192; jelly, 194 
plain boiled, 191 ; prairie, breast 
of, 195 ; souffle, 193 ; timbales, 
193; with macaroni or rice, 191. 

Chocolate, remarks about, 23 ; to 



283 



INDEX 



make, 122; custard, 229 ; mousse 
of, 238 ; parfait of, 239. 

Cholera, 72. 

Chop, mutton, 188. 

Cinnamon water, 108. 

Clabbered milk, 28. 

Clam, broth, 144 ; soup, 145. 

Claret-cup No. 1, No. 2, 118. 

Cocoa, 23. 

Coffee, 22, 121 ; cake, 157 ; con- 
densed, 24 ; custard, 229 ; effects 
of, 22, 247 ; parfait of, 239 ; to 
make, 121 ; Venetian, 122. 

Colds, 92 ; and catarrh, 274. 

Compotes, 53. 

Condensed tea, coffee, etc., 24. 

Constituents of food, 3. 

Consumption, 87. 

Copper saucepan, 101. 

Cordial, blackberry, 113. 

Corn, meal bread No. 1, 160 ; meal 
bread No. 2, 161 ; cream of, 141, 
142; custard, 208; gruel, 127; 
mush, 167; pancakes, 162; rice 
bread, 161 ; souffle, 208 ; soup, 
141, 142 ; starch, 50 ; starch blanc- 
mange, 232. 

Corpulency, 93. 

Cottage cheese, 29. 

Cracked wheat, 164. 

Cracker flakes, 167. 

Crackers, for baby, 65. 

Cream, a glass of, 118 ; ice, 235 ; of 
asparagus, 139 ; of chicken, 138 ; 
of corn, 141, 142 ; of oysters, 137 ; 
of potatoes, 140 ; of rice, farina, 
or barley, 138 ; of string - beans, 
141; toast, 155; soup, 146; wa- 
fers, 160; whipped, 235. 

Croquettes, chicken, 160; macaroni, 
172, 173 ; oyster, 200 ; rice, 180. 

Croutons, 133. 

Currant, jelly, 224 ; jelly sauce, 179 ; 
jelly water, 109; preserves, 242; 
scone, 163. 

Custard, d la Morrison, 227 ; barley, 
229 ; caramel, 230 ; corn, 208 ; 
cup of chocolate, 229 ; cup of 
coffee, 229 ; of crushed oats, 229 ; 
plain baked, 227 ; rennet, 230 ; 
sago, 229; tapioca, 229; wheat, 229. 



Diabetes, 85, 256. 

Diarrhea, 70. 

Diet for infants, 61, 264, 271 ; in 
different diseases, 67. 

Digestion, 5 ; artificial, 9, 262 ; proc- 
esses of, 5. 

Digestive ferments, 9, 262. 

Diphtheria, 90. 

Dishes, made with gluten, 168 ; of 
meat, game, and fish, 184. 

Distilled water, 16, 107. 

Double tin steamer, 99. 

Dressing, mavonnaise, 211 ; French, 
212. 

Drinks, receipts for, 107. 

Dysentery, 71. 

Dyspepsia, 67. 

Earthen crock, 99, 166. 

Egg, and lemon, 118; and milk 
punch, 115. 

Egg (or eggs), as food, 48, 180 
boiled, 181 ; cordial, 117; omelet 
macaroni, 184; omelet, plain, 183 
omelet, other, 184 ; poached, 136 
182; poacher, 183; raw, 181 
scrambled, 184. . 

Egg-nog, 115. 

Farina gruel, 127; pudding, 215. 

Fats as food, 46. 

Feeding the baby, 271. 

Fevers, 73 ; malarial, 74 ; typhoid, 
9, 78. 

Fish, as food, 44; d la creme, 197; 
Bass d V Espagnole, 196 ; boiled, 
196; broiled, 195. 

Flaxseed, lemonade, 112; tea, 109. 

Flip, 113. 

Flour, gruel No. 1, No. 2, 126 ; gruel 
No. 3, 127 ; soup, 145. 

Food for infants, 61, 264; constitu- 
ents of, 3; materials, chart of, 282. 

Food, nitrogenous and non-nitrog- 
enous, 4. 

Foods, 41. 

French dressing, 212. 

Frozen peaches, . 236 ; whipped 
cream, 235. 

Fruits, as food, 52, 53, 239; bever- 
ages from, 110; compote of, 53, 



284 



INDEX 



240 ; preserved, 241 ; stewed, 53, 
242. 

Gastritis, 90. 

Gelatin, 48. 

Glass dropper, 103. 

Gluten, dishes of, 168; and rice 
muffins, 170; bread, 169 ; cheese- 
cakes, 171 ; cream wafers, 171 ; 
gruel, 170; muffins, 169 ; mush, 
169 ; pudding, 170, 171 ; souffle, 
171. 

Gouffe's receipt for bouillon, 143. 

Gout and rheumatism, 81. 

Graham - flour, bread, 151, 152 ; 
gruel, 124; pudding, 214; rolls, 
164; sponge-cake, 219; wafers. 
160. 

Grain preparations, 58. 

Granulated-wheat custard, 229 ; pan- 
cakes, 162; pudding, 216. 

Grape juice, 39, 111. 

Grapes as food, 52. 

Gruels, 123. 

Gruel, barley, 124; corn-meal, 128; 
farina, 127; flour, 126; for ba- 
bies, 66; gluten, 170; Graham 
flour, 124; oatmeal, 125; pep- 
tonized milk, 12 ; rice, 50, 127. 

Health foods, 58. 
Herb teas, 109. 
Hoe-cake, 162. 
Hot water, 19 ; tea, 21. 

Ices, 233 ; lemon and other, 237. 
Ice-cream No. 1, 235 ; No. 2, 236. 
Iced tea, 18; water, 18. 
Infants, food for, 61, 264, 271. 

Jellies, 222. 

Jelly, amethyst, 225 ; asparagus, 
212; aspic, 194; chicken, 194; 
coffee, 224 ; currant, 224 ; emer- 
ald, 225 ; maraschino, 224 ; pep- 
tonized milk, 13; rose, 226; 
ruby, 225 ; tomato, 213; violet, 
226 ; wine No. 1, 223 ; wine No. 
2, 224. 

Juice, beef, 66, 131 ; grape, 39, 
111. 



Kumiss, 29, 257, 261 ; to make, 32. 

Lamb, 42. 

Lemon, ices, 237 ; pie or pudding, 

218; whey, 110. 
Lemonade, 112; flaxseed, 112. 
Licorice tea,, 109. 
Liebig's receipts, 64, 130, 268. 
Lime-water, 107. 
Longevity, remarks regarding, 96. 

Macaroni, and tomato sauce, 173 ; 
au gratin, 172 ; croquettes, 172; 
omelet, 184; pudding, 216; with 
chicken, 191. 

Malt extract, 39. 

Maraschino jelly, 224. 

Marmalade, orange, 241. 

Mayonnaise dressing, 211. 

May wine, 113. 

Meat-juice press, 101. 

Meats, 41 ; salted, 43. 

Medicine glass, 103. 

Mellin's food for infants, 66, 268. 

Milk, and its products, 24; almond, 
112; and egg punch, 115; and 
sel tzer- water, 123 ; clabbered, 28 
for infants, 62, 266 ; malted, 28 
80 ; pasteurizing of, 27 ; pepton 
izing of, 12 ; sterilizing of, 27 
punch, 114 ; soup, 148 ; toast, 156. 

Mint-julep, 116. 

Mock-cream toast, 155. 

Mousse, au kirsch, 238 ; of choco- 
late, 238 ; of fruit, 238 ; of straw- 
berries, 237. 

Muffins, 152 ; gluten, 169. 

Mush, corn-meal, 167; fried, 167; 
gluten, 169. 

Mutton, broth, 134; chop, 188. 

Neuralgia, 91. 

Oatmeal, caudle, 126 ; custard, 229 ; 
drink, 108; gruel, 66, 125; por- 
ridge, 166; ptisan, 129; wafers, 
160. 

Omelet (see Egg), 183. 

Onions, 209. 

Orange marmalade, 241 ; pudding, 
218. 



285 



INDEX 



Oranges as food, 54. 

Oyster (or oysters), as food, 44 ; 
broth of, 145 ; cream of, 137 ; 
croquettes, 200 ; in shells or paper 
cases, 200; on toast, 201 ; pancre- 
atized, 281; prairie, 180; soup, 
144. 

Panada, 66, 128. 

Pancakes, 162. 

Pancreatic emulsion, 11, 263 ; ex- 
tract, 280 ; ferments, 9. 

Pancreatized oysters, 281. 

Pap, 65. 

Parfait, of chocolate, 239 ; of coffee, 
239 ; of tea, 238. 

Pasteurizing of milk, 27. 

Peaches, frozen, 236. 

Pear, compote, 240. 

Peas, 51, 205 ; dried, 206. 

Peppers, stuffed, 207. 

Pepsin, 6, 9. 

Peptonized milk, 12; gruel, 12, 262 ; 
jelly, 13. 

Peyer's patches, 79. 

Pie, lemon, 218. 

Potato flour, 167. 

Potatoes, d la creme, 203 ; an gratin, 
203; baked, 202; boiled, 202; 
cream of, 140. 

Porcelain duck, 102. 

Pork, 42, 43. 

Porridge, 166. 

Poultry, 44. 

Prairie oyster, a, 180. 

Preserved fruit, 53. 

Preserves, 241. 

Ptisan, 129. 

Pudding, barley, 216; corn cottage, 
213; farina, 215; gluten, 170, 
171; Graham flour, 214; granu- 
lated wheat, 216; lemon, 218; 
macaroni, 216; orange, 218; 
puffed, 217 ; Quogue, 215 ; souffle, 
217. 

Punch, egg and milk, 115; milk, 
114; Roman, 237. 

Raquette egg-poacher, 183. 
Receipts, 107. 
Rennet custard, 230. 



Rheumatism, 81, 83. 

Rice, a V Imperatrice, 178 ; and gravy, 
176; as a vegetable, 175; as 
food, 50; cones, 176; croquettes, 
180; dishes of, 174; gruel, 127; 
pudding, 176, 177, 178; soup, 
138 ; to boil, 175 ; with chicken, 
191. 

Rickets, 90. 

Roman punch, 237. 

Rose jelly, 226. 

Saccharin, 55 ; svrup, 56. 

Sago, 50, 135. 

Salad, cauliflower, 210; French 
dressing, 212; mayonnaise, 211. 

Salads, 209. 

Salted meats, 43. 

Salts, mineral, 4, 57 ; vegetable, 4, 
202. 

Sandwich, a beef, 187. 

Sauce, apple, 240 ; brown, 207 ; 
Burke, 216 ; currant or plum jelly, 
179 ; Guillod, 217 ; plain pudding, 
214; tartare, 211 ; tomato, 174. 

Saucepan, copper, 101. 

Scone, currant, 163. 

Scotch toast, 157. 

Scrofula, 89. 

Sea-moss, 51 ; blanc-mange, 232. 

Sea-moss farine, 51. 

Seltzer- water and milk, 123. 

Service of invalid's food, 105. 

Shad, souffle of roe, 196. 

Sick-room, the, 105. 

Sippets, 154. 

Souffle, of chicken, 193; of corn, 
208 ; of gluten, 171 ; of shad roe, 
198; of spinach, 204; pudding, 
217. 

Soups, 136. 

Soup, asparagus, 139; barley, 138, 
147 ; chestnut, 148 ; chicken, 138 ; 
chicken - bone, 147 ; clam, 145 ; 
corn, 141, 142; cream of string- 
beans, 141; flour, 145; German 
milk, 148; oyster, 137, 144; po- 
tato, 140 ; rice, 138 ; stock for, 
142; veal, 147; vegetable, 146; 
vegetable cream, 146. 

Spinach, 204 ; souffle, 204. 

86 



INDEX 



Starch, 4, 10, 267. 

Steak, beef, 185 ; venison, 42. 

Sterilizing of milk, 27. 

Stock for soup, 142; Gouffe's re- 
ceipt for, 143. 

Strawberries, mousse of, 237 ; pre- 
served, 242. 

String-bean*, cream of, 141; soup, 
141. 

Sugar, as food, 4, 6, 55 ; effect of in 
corpulency, 93 ; effect of in dia- 
betes, 85; effect of in gout, 83 ; 
effect of in rheumatism, 84 ; 
syrup, 110. 

Sweetbreads, 198; on toast, 199. 

Tamarind water, 108. 

Tapioca, 50, 135; custard, 229. 

Tea, 20, 120; beef, 129 ; effects of, 
20, 21, 247 ; flaxseed, 109 ; hot- 
water (or Cambric), 21; iced, 18 ; 
parfait of, 238; to make, 120. 

Teas, herb, 109. 

Toast, cream, 155; milk, 156; mock- 
cream, 155; Scotch, 157; to 
make, 153, 154 ; water, 155. 

Tom and Jerry, 116. 

Tomatoes, as food, 52 ; stuffed, 206. 

Tomato jelly, 213; sauce, 174. 

Tubes and spoons for administering 
medicine, 102-3. 

Typhoid fever, 9, 78 ; diet in, 80, 
'274. 



Uric acid, 7, 8. 
Utensils, 99. 

Valentine's meat juice, 131. 

Veal, 42 ; soup, 147. 

Vegetable acids, 52 ; cream soup, 

146 ; foods, 50 ; soup, 146. 
Vegetables, receipts for preparing, 

202. 
Venetian coffee, 122. 
Venison, 42 ; steak, 188. 
Vinegar whey, 110. 

Wafers, gluten, 171; Graham, 160; 
oatmeal, 160. 

Waffles, 152. 

Water, 14 ; apple, 111 ; barley, 108, 
268 ; cinnamon, 108 ; currant- 
jelly, 109 ; distilled. 16, 107; fil- 
tered, 17; hot, 19; iced, 18; 
lime, 107; mineral, 18; oatmeal, 
108 ; tamarind, 108 ; toast, 109. 

Wheat, cracked, 164; custard, 229. 

Whey, 28, 110. 

Whipped cream, 235. 

Wine, 38; apple, 112; flip, 113: 
jelly No. 1, 223; jelly No. 2. 
224; May, 113; whey, 110. 

Yeast, 149. 
Zwieback, 156. 



THE END 



1598 



Jii 



